In an exciting development in the AI world, Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI, has launched a new venture named Thinking Machines Lab, which has recently onboarded two influential advisers: Bob McGrew, the former Chief Research Officer at OpenAI, and Alec Radford, a key figure during his decade-long tenure at the company.

The addition of McGrew and Radford, whose names were quietly updated on Thinking Machines Lab's website in March, signals serious intentions for the startup. Both advisers bring a wealth of expertise and groundbreaking research experience, particularly in generative AI technologies. McGrew transitioned through various roles at OpenAI since 2017, having joined as a technical staff member and rising to lead research efforts before his departure in September 2024, when he announced a brief hiatus from the field.

Radford, credited as the lead author of the pivotal research paper on generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs), left OpenAI in late 2023 to focus on independent initiatives. His contributions have been integral to the development of ChatGPT, DALL-E, and the Whisper speech recognition system. His experience will undoubtedly foster innovative advancements at the new startup.

Thinking Machines Lab has remained somewhat elusive regarding its strategy and timeline for product development. However, an announcement earlier this year hinted at a vision to create AI solutions tailored to meet individual users' unique needs and aspirations. This ambition aims to produce AI systems that are not only customizable but also universally comprehensible and capable.

At the helm of Thinking Machines Lab as CEO, Murati is joined by a distinguished team, including OpenAI co-founder John Schulman as chief scientist and Barret Zoph, who previously headed model post-training at OpenAI, as the CTO.

Murati, who departed from OpenAI in October 2023 after six years, initially joined as VP of applied AI and partnerships before ascending to the role of CTO in 2022. Her leadership was instrumental in developing pivotal products like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Codex, the AI system behind GitHub’s Copilot programming assistant.

Under her direction, Thinking Machines Lab is reportedly in discussions to secure over $100 million in funding from venture capital firms, promising a strong financial foundation for the startup, which has attracted a team drawn from elite AI research institutions, including OpenAI and Google DeepMind. As AI continues to advance at a rapid pace, the establishment of Thinking Machines Lab could mark a significant shift in how AI technologies evolve and integrate into various aspects of daily life. Stay tuned—this could be the next big breakthrough in artificial intelligence!