The Acceleration Economy AI Industry Accelerators series — highlighting individuals in vendor, partner, and customer organizations that are driving AI innovation and adoption — kicks off with this profile of Mira Murati, CTO of OpenAI.
Current Role
Murati’s journey with OpenAI began in 2018 as a researcher working on its supercomputing strategy and managing research teams. Now, she holds the position of Chief Technology Officer. She also served as the interim CEO in November when the company was undergoing high-profile leadership changes that included the removal and eventual reinstatement of Sam Altman.
As the CTO, Murati is responsible for leading the teams developing OpenAI’s technology offerings including ChatGPT. She oversees research, product, and safety teams.
Educational/Professional Background
Murati’s interest in science and technology began at a young age. In a Microsoft interview, Murati noted that she loved math when she was a child, elaborating that she “gravitated more towards the truth in science, something that felt steady and you could get to the bottom of.” She continued to pursue these interests when she reached college.
Mira Murati of OpenAI
| Title | CTO |
| Previous employers | Leap Motion, Tesla |
| Key AI Initiatives at OpenAI | ChatGPT, Dall-E, GPT-4 |
| AI Passions | Responsible and safe AI |
| In Her Own Words | “We’re working on something that will change everything.” |
With a mechanical engineering degree from Dartmouth College, Murati’s involvement in technology includes fields such as aerospace, automotive, virtual reality, and augmented reality. “I very quickly believed that AGI would be the last and most important major technology that we built, and I wanted to be at the heart of it,” Murati said during an interview with WIRED.
Starting in 2013, she worked for Tesla as a product manager for Model X. Murati cites Tesla as the place that catalyzed her interest in working with AI, as it fostered a mindset that there’s always a different way to approach something even if it seems impossible.
She shifted, in 2016, to work for Leap Motion — now known as Ultraleap, an augmented reality startup. In working with VR and AR, Murati recognized that “intelligence is really the fundamental property of how the world is going to change.”
Murati decided to make the leap to AI after becoming interested in how the technology can “redefine the way that we interact with the world and we absorb information and the things that we produce and how it affects creativity.”
AI Projects and Passions
Murati was one of the early developers of ChatGPT, DALL-E, and GPT-4. By leading the teams developing OpenAI’s technology, Murati has been involved with the advancements of ChatGPT, Dall-E, Codex, and Sora.
An area that Murati has been especially passionate about is responsible AI. She is an advocate for responsible AI, public testing of AI, and establishing AI regulations. By having products available to the public, Murati believes it opens opportunities for feedback that will enhance the offerings as well as ensure the ethical development of AI.
In an interview with Fortune, Murati shared that she decided to work with OpenAI because its mission resonated with her, “to ensure that artificial intelligence greatly benefits all of humanity.” Murati remains firm on carrying out this mission.
OpenAI Safety Stance
As stated previously, responsible and safe AI are passions of Murati. To that end, OpenAI recently released a safety update following the AI Seoul Summit. In the update, OpenAI specified 10 safety practices that it actively follows. By following these safety practices, OpenAI has been able to “build and deploy safe and capable models at the current level of capability.” The practices include:
- Empirical model red-teaming and testing before release
- Alignment and safety research
- Monitoring for abuse
- Systematic approach for safety
- Protecting children
- Election integrity
- Investment in impact assessment and policy analysis
- Security and access control measures
- Partnering with governments
- Safety decision-making and board oversight
The 10 practices are laid out in greater detail here.
Big Quote
“We’re working on something that will change everything. It will change the way we work, the way we interact with each other and the way that we think, and really all aspects of life.”
