If you ask ChatGPT about its creator Mira Murati (34), the language bot shines with ignorance: “As an AI, I have no information about who exactly Mira Murati is because I don’t know everyone in the world.” Murati is the chief technology officer at software company OpenAI, which released the chatbot last November — so she created it. But even if one insists and points to Murati’s connection to OpenAI, only the following sentence appears: “Mira Murati is not a well-known personality in the OpenAI organization.”
Is ignorance coincidence? At least it’s very amazing. Murati leads the ChatGPT and DALL-E imaging software teams. ChatGPT in particular has triggered an unprecedented hype about artificial intelligence, with more than 100 million people worldwide trying out the new technology within two months. Google is said to have even called out a “Code Red” because of the chatbot, the race of tech companies for the leading AI services
is in full swing. It will be held before the eyes of the whole world, which will be the subject of controversial discussions about opportunities and risks. So far, it has been surprisingly quiet about the woman behind the technology. If you take a closer look at Mira Murati’s work and life, the only conclusion that remains is that this is intentional.
She usually leaves interview requests unanswered, including a request from manager magazin. The consequence of the silence is that myths have already grown up around them. For example, some media reports that she was born and raised in the United States. in one Video
However, according to a recording of a symposium at the US University of Colorado Boulder from 2021, which documents one of her rare public appearances, the technical director says that she spent her childhood and youth in Albania. “I first got interested in artificial intelligence when I was playing video games as a kid. I thought about whether or not the characters had any kind of logical thinking,” Murati says. Abstract and complex trains of thought fascinated her early on, and she was interested in mathematics even as a child. “There weren’t many opportunities to put theory into practice, so I focused more on theoretical math until college,” says the 34-year-old.
In her rare appearances, she even dares to criticize her work, she is also a good speaker, comes across as competent, approachable, formulates her sentences clearly and understandably, and can explain in such a way that even people without a technical background have a chance to understand the background of understand ChatGPT. But obviously it is important for the technical director to control information about herself.
Murati discovered her passion for AI at Tesla
According to her LinkedIn profile
Murati received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the prestigious Dartmouth College in the United States. After graduating, she worked as an engineer at aircraft supplier Zodiac and then discovered at the electric car manufacturer Tesla her passion as Senior Product Manager: There she was responsible for the development and launch of Tesla’s electric SUV Model X. Through autonomous driving, Murati came into contact with artificial intelligence. After three years at the electric car maker and two subsequent years at virtual reality start-up Leap Motion, now Ultraleap, Murati decided to join OpenAI in 2018 – to focus more on “general” artificial intelligence, as she says.
When Murati started at OpenAI in 2018, the company was still conceived as a non-profit research institute with a mission: “to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity”. In 2019, the move away from the purely non-profit model followed.
Murati had a meteoric career at OpenAI. She started as vice president of applied artificial intelligence and partnerships, rose to senior vice president of research, products and partnerships. She has been responsible for OpenAI’s technology since May 2022 – and yet she does not remain silent about her doubts about her creation.
“We didn’t anticipate the excitement when we brought our ‘child’ into the world. In fact, we were a bit afraid to release it,” she told Time magazine in February. In the interview, she also addresses the fact that the chatbot invents facts.
Open to regulation of AI applications
In an appearance on the US talk show “The Daily Show
” Five months ago you learned a lot about Murati’s understanding of the products that she helps to design herself. This is how she describes AI-supported applications as people’s helpers: “We see them as tools, as an extension of our creativity.”
She is also concerned about the social consequences of the AI boom. In the “Daily Show” she is also asked that the use of AI could lead to a loss of jobs. She replies: “As in all revolutions we’ve been through, there will be new jobs and others will be lost (…) But I’m optimistic.”
more on the subject
Notable is her response to a question from Time Magazine, which wanted to know how to ensure that AI applications are not abused and are in line with human values. They should act “ultimately in the service of humanity,” Murati says, and is open to involving policymakers and other regulators in the process. When asked if it wasn’t too early to involve politicians, the chief technology officer replied: “It’s not too early. It’s very important for everyone to get involved, given the impact these technologies will have .”
A rather unusual approach for the technical director of a tech company from the Silicon Valley. However, it shows that Murati is well aware of the possible negative consequences of her creation.