Oct 18 - Mira Murati, former chief technology officer at

OpenAI, is raising funds from venture capitalists for her new AI

startup, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The new company aims to build AI products based on

proprietary models, said one of the sources who requested

anonymity to discuss private matters. It is not clear if Murati

will assume the CEO role at the new venture.

A representative for Murati declined to comment.

While the talks are in the early stages, Murati's new

venture could raise over $100 million given her reputation and

the capital needed to train proprietary models, one of the

sources said, cautioning that the figures have not been

finalized.

Barret Zoph, a prominent researcher who left OpenAI on the

same day as Murati in late September, could also get involved in

the new venture, the sources added. Zoph did not respond to

requests for comment.

The Information previously reported that Zoph is planning a

new startup and that Murati has been recruiting OpenAI employees

to join her new venture.

Murati at OpenAI spent over six years spearheading

transformative projects like ChatGPT and DALL-E. She was a key

figure in OpenAI's multibillion-dollar partnership with

Microsoft ( MSFT ), its largest financial backer.

Murati's meteoric rise at OpenAI has cemented her name as

one of the most prominent executives in the fledgling field of

artificial intelligence.

Murati joined OpenAI in June 2018 and was promoted to CTO in

May 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile. Prior to OpenAI,

she worked at augmented reality startup Leap Motion and Tesla

.

She frequently appeared alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as

the public face of the ChatGPT maker. When OpenAI in May

launched its GPT-4o model, which is capable of having realistic

voice conversations, Murati led the presentation.

Her abrupt resignation in late September marked the latest

high-profile exit from the ChatGPT maker as the company

undergoes major governance structure changes, including removing

the control of the non-profit board. Murati, who briefly served

as interim CEO last year when Altman was ousted by the

non-profit board, cited a desire for personal exploration for

her departure.

Murati joins a growing list of former OpenAI executives

launching startups, including rivals such as Anthropic and Safe

Superintelligence.