Mira Murati has recently stepped into the spotlight as the interim chief executive of OpenAI. She takes on this role following the removal of Sam Altman, the company's former chief executive and co-founder. OpenAI's board of directors emphasized Murati's "unique skill set" and her capacity to ensure a smooth transition as the formal search for a permanent CEO commences.
While holding the title of chief technology officer since the previous year, Murati has effectively functioned as the company's head of operations. She has been instrumental in overseeing the timely development of various versions of ChatGPT by the engineering team. Additionally, she has managed the company's partnership with Microsoft, a key investor and collaborator utilizing OpenAI's technology. Moreover, Murati has played a pivotal role in shaping OpenAI's artificial intelligence policy in Washington and Europe.
Born in Albania and educated in Canada, Murati's background is in mechanical engineering, and she notably built a hybrid racecar during her undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College. Prior to joining OpenAI in 2018, she had significant roles at Tesla, where she contributed to the development of the Model X car, and at Leap Motion, a startup focused on motion-tracking computing systems.
Murati's exposure to A.I. during her tenure at Tesla inspired her to pursue a career in this field. Initially hired as OpenAI's vice president of applied A.I. and partnerships, she has been committed to ensuring that the development of artificial general intelligence benefits humanity at large. OpenAI transitioned from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit entity to secure the substantial funding required for its A.I. endeavors.
Acknowledged for her ability to assemble teams with technical expertise and commercial insight, Murati has been instrumental in building some of the most groundbreaking A.I. technologies, according to Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft.
At the core of her vision is the belief that elevating and enhancing collective human intelligence through A.I. is a profound and inspiring pursuit. Murati has been an integral part of OpenAI's leadership team, implementing the decisions shaped by the company's senior leaders, including Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Wojciech Zaremba.
Given her leadership responsibilities, Murati has overseen the distribution of OpenAI's innovative A.I. technologies, such as DALL-E and ChatGPT, which have garnered significant user interest. Her efforts have also extended to public engagement, with appearances on prominent platforms and events to raise awareness about A.I. technologies in a responsible and safe manner.