Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab Seeks US$2B for Human-Centric AI Development

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Mira Murati, former chief technology officer of OpenAI, has launched Thinking Machines Lab, an artificial intelligence startup seeking to raise US$2 billion in a seed funding round, one of the largest ever. Announced in February 2025, the venture aims to build AI systems that emphasize human collaboration. Its US$10 billion valuation, despite no public product, reflects investor optimism but invites scrutiny in a competitive AI landscape.
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Funding Ambitions and Investor Interest
Thinking Machines Lab aims to double its initial US$1 billion target from January 2025, with Andreessen Horowitz reportedly in talks to lead the round. If successful, this would surpass the US$1 billion raised by Safe Superintelligence, an AI startup by OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, at a US$5 billion valuation.
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AI Mission and Open Science Commitment
The startup focuses on developing customizable AI systems that process text and images, adaptable for diverse tasks across industries. In a February 2025 blog post, Murati outlined a vision for “widely understood, capable” AI, prioritizing safety, adaptability, and open science through shared research and code.
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Leadership and Expert Team
Murati, who spent over six years at OpenAI contributing to ChatGPT, DALL-E, and OpenAI’s Microsoft partnership, serves as CEO. The team includes about 30-40 researchers, nearly half of whom are former OpenAI employees, such as John Schulman (chief scientist, ChatGPT co-creator) and Barret Zoph (chief technology officer). Advisors Bob McGrew and Alec Radford, both OpenAI alumni, join talent from Meta, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind, bolstering credibility.
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Competitive Landscape and Resource Needs
The US$2 billion will likely fund computing resources and talent acquisition, essential in a market where AI model training costs hundreds of millions. The AI industry is led by OpenAI, valued at US$260 billion after a US$40 billion round in April 2025, Anthropic at US$61.5 billion, xAI at US$75 billion, and Google’s DeepMind.
Strategic Differentiation
Unlike OpenAI’s automation-focused ChatGPT or xAI’s scientific-driven approach, Thinking Machines Lab emphasizes human-AI collaboration, aiming to create adaptable AI for varied applications. Established competitors’ large user bases pose challenges, but the startup’s safety and transparency focus may align with regulations like the EU’s AI Act, potentially aiding compliance in regulated markets.
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Source: Tech Crunch, Business Insider, Reuters

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