Mira Murati Launches New AI Startup, Thinking Machines Lab
Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, has co-founded a new artificial intelligence company, Thinking Machines Lab. This comes after her unexpected departure from OpenAI in September 2023, contributing to the surge of new companies entering the competitive AI industry.
Mission of Thinking Machines Lab
Thinking Machines Lab’s primary goal is to make AI systems more accessible, customizable, and capable, according to a blog post from the company. The startup has committed to open-sourcing its technologies, making them available to outside researchers and businesses to foster collaboration and innovation in the AI space.
Funding Status
While Thinking Machines Lab has not disclosed whether it has secured funding, its formation adds to the growing number of young companies in the race to shape the future of AI technology.
Leadership Changes at OpenAI
Mira Murati, 36, was part of the leadership team at OpenAI when she, along with several top executives, left the company following the surprising removal of OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, in November 2023. Altman was reinstated five days later, but the episode revealed tensions within the company regarding its direction and the philosophy guiding AI’s development. These conflicts played a part in Murati’s decision to leave OpenAI.
Other Former OpenAI Leaders Venture Into AI
Following the leadership shake-up at OpenAI, other former executives, including co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, have launched their own AI companies. These startups, alongside industry giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft, are all competing in the race to advance powerful AI technologies. Notably, The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged copyright infringement involving AI systems using news content.
The OpenAI Saga
OpenAI had garnered worldwide attention with the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, a chatbot capable of answering questions, writing term papers, generating code, and mimicking human conversation. Sam Altman became a prominent figure in the AI movement following its success. However, in November 2023, four members of OpenAI’s board voted to remove Altman, citing a lack of trust regarding the company’s long-term plans, which include the ambition to create machines with human-like intelligence.
Murati’s Departure and Future Plans
After Altman’s removal, Murati briefly stepped in as interim CEO of OpenAI but declined the role two days later. She remained at the company until Altman’s reinstatement. Reports from The New York Times last year suggested Murati had written a memo to Altman raising concerns about his management style and shared it with the board, though a lawyer for Murati denied these claims. When Murati left OpenAI, she stated that her departure was to allow herself the “time and space to do my own exploration,” but did not elaborate on her future plans.
