Mira Murati launches rival to OpenAI called Thinking Machines Lab

After her sudden departure from OpenAI last fall, ex-CTO Mira Murati vanished from public view to start something new. Now, she is ready to share some details about what she’s working on.

Her new AI startup is called Thinking Machines Lab, and while the specifics of what it plans to release are still under wraps, the company says its goal is “to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable and generally capable.” The startup also promises at least some level of public transparency by pledging to regularly publish technical research and code.

In a press release shared with The Verge, the company suggests that it’s building products that help humans work with AI, rather than fully autonomous systems. “We’re building a future where everyone has access to the knowledge and tools to make AI work for their unique needs and goals,” says the press release.

Murati has been working to create an AI dream team for this new startup. She recently recruited OpenAI co-founder John Schulman as head of research. Barrett Zoph, another former OpenAI leader, is her startup’s CTO. Sources tell The Verge that Schulman has been actively helping build the team by taking meetings with researchers mere blocks from OpenAI’s headquarters. Jonathan Lachman, who led OpenAI’s special projects division, has also jumped ship to join Murati’s venture. In total, she has poached about 10 top researchers and engineers from elite AI labs, including OpenAI, Character.AI, and Google DeepMind.