UN General Assembly enters fourth day
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday...
Feb 18, 2025 – In a significant move in the competitive AI landscape, former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati has launched Thinking Machines Lab, an AI startup assembling a team of about 30 leading researchers and engineers.
Roughly two-thirds of the team consists of former OpenAI employees, including prominent researcher Barret Zoph, who left the ChatGPT maker on the same day as Murati last September and will serve as the startup’s technology chief.
Thinking Machines Lab aims to develop artificial intelligence systems that encode human values and support a broader range of applications than those offered by current models. The startup emphasizes a collaborative approach between its research and product teams and has committed to advancing AI alignment by sharing code, datasets, and model specifications.
Among the new venture’s key hires is John Schulman, an OpenAI co-founder who recently departed for rival Anthropic to focus on AI alignment. More OpenAI employees are expected to join, according to sources familiar with the matter, as Murati’s startup continues to attract talent from across the industry.
Murati, who played a central role in the development of ChatGPT since joining OpenAI in June 2018, now leads Thinking Machines Lab as CEO. Her departure was part of a series of high-profile exits during OpenAI’s recent governance changes. Prior to her tenure at OpenAI, Murati held positions at augmented reality startup Leap Motion and Tesla.
The launch of Thinking Machines Lab highlights the intensifying competition in the generative AI sector, with several former OpenAI executives launching startups amid growing interest in AI safety and alignment. The company is currently in discussions with venture capital investors and is positioning itself as a key player capable of tackling a broader spectrum of human expertise through innovative AI applications.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
The 81st UN General Assembly has wrapped up its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
Meta has unveiled a new generation of wearables, including lightweight virtual reality glasses and camera-free smart spectacles, as it pushes AI-powered devices further into the mainstream while seeking to address privacy concerns.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday (19 September) the creation of an “AI Force” and plans to appoint an artificial intelligence (AI) czar, while rejecting calls to slow the development of increasingly powerful AI systems.
Google’s Gemini AI model accessed the internet and hacked three companies during a cybersecurity test, in what is believed to be the first known case of the company’s AI systems autonomously carrying out such activity.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 18 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of science.
French prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into suspected sexual harassment involving smart glasses, amid mounting global concern over the privacy risks posed by the devices.
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