Mira Murati, former Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, has officially launched her own AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, with a team of around 30 top researchers and engineers. The startup, announced on Tuesday, includes talent from major AI players like OpenAI, Meta, and Mistral.

Murati's new venture aims to develop AI systems that deeply integrate human values and support a wider range of applications compared to its competitors. The company emphasized this approach in a blog post, highlighting its focus on AI alignment—ensuring that AI models are safer and more aligned with human ethics.

A significant portion of Thinking Machines Lab’s team consists of former OpenAI employees. Notably, Barret Zoph, a respected AI researcher who departed OpenAI the same day as Murati in September, will take on the role of Chief Technology Officer. Additionally, John Schulman, an OpenAI co-founder who left for Anthropic in August to focus on AI alignment, has joined as the startup’s Chief Scientist.

Sources indicate that more OpenAI employees are expected to follow suit. Meanwhile, the company is already in discussions to secure venture capital funding, according to previous reports by Reuters. Murati’s move places her among a growing number of former OpenAI executives who have launched their own AI ventures. Other startups like Anthropic and Safe Superintelligence have also attracted ex-OpenAI researchers and secured billions in funding.

What sets Thinking Machines Lab apart, according to the company, is its integrated approach—where research and product development teams collaborate from the outset. The startup also plans to contribute to AI alignment research by making its code, datasets, and model specifications publicly available. "While today’s AI systems are highly skilled in programming and mathematics, we are working on AI that can adapt to the full spectrum of human expertise and support a broader range of real-world applications," the company stated.

Murati, who played a crucial role in OpenAI’s development of ChatGPT, had been one of the most recognizable faces of the company, frequently appearing alongside CEO Sam Altman. Her departure was part of a wave of high-profile exits amid OpenAI’s internal restructuring. Before her tenure at OpenAI, Murati worked at Tesla and the augmented reality startup Leap Motion. Now, with Thinking Machines Lab, she is charting a new course in AI innovation.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Bloomberg.