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On Sun, 25 Aug, 12:01 AM UTC
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OpenAI Taps Ex-Meta Exec to Lead Strategic Initiatives
Kofman will report to OpenAI tech chief Mira Murati, with an initial focus on preparedness and safety, Bloomberg News reported Friday (Aug. 23), citing a company spokesperson. She worked for Meta for five years, most recently as a senior director of product management for generative artificial intelligence (AI), per her profile on LinkedIn. The Bloomberg report noted that AI startups like OpenAI have been increasingly recruiting executives from larger tech firms -- especially social media platforms -- as they aim to compete with companies like Meta and Google. Another OpenAI co-founder, Greg Brockman, announced earlier this month he was taking a sabbatical for the rest of 2024. "First time to relax since co-founding OpenAI 9 years ago," he wrote in a post on X. "The mission is far from complete; we still have a safe AGI to build." AGI is a reference to "artificial general intelligence," an as-yet-unrealized version of AI that can think and reason at the level of humans. Meanwhile, OpenAI last week debuted an update to its AI capabilities, allowing developers to now fine-tune GPT-4o, the company's most advanced language model, to meet specific business needs. This feature, long asked for by the tech sector, paves the way for customized AI applications across various industries. Fine-tuning is a process that enables developers to customize a pretrained AI model for specific tasks. OpenAI explains, "Developers can now fine-tune GPT-4o with custom datasets to get higher performance at a lower cost for their specific use cases. Fine-tuning enables the model to customize the structure and tone of responses or to follow complex domain-specific instructions." As PYMNTS noted, fine-tuning is critical for commerce because it lets businesses create AI tools tailored to their needs, enhancing customer service, streamlining operations, and promoting innovation. "For example, a retail company could fine-tune GPT-4o to understand product descriptions and customer inquiries better," the report said. "At the same time, a financial firm might customize it to analyze market trends and generate reports."
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OpenAI hires former Meta executive Irina Kofman to head strategic initiatives
Kofman, who recently started at the artificial intelligence startup, is reporting directly to OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and will focus on safety and preparedness initially, said a company spokesperson. Kofman spent five years at Meta, where she was most recently a senior director of product management for generative AI, according to her LinkedIn. Also Read: Publications sued OpenAI for copyright infringement, but some are now partnering up with it Meta declined to comment on Kofman's departure. The owner of Facebook and Instagram has invested heavily in AI, seeking to improve its advertising business, for example, by using algorithms to better determine when and where to show ads and providing marketers with generative AI tools to help them create more effective campaigns. AI startups such as OpenAI are increasingly hiring business leaders with experience at the larger tech companies, particularly in social media, as they scale up and compete with the likes of Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Meta. Also Read: 78% of India's delivery gig workers earn less than 2.5 lakh a year: Report In June, OpenAI hired former Instagram and Twitter executive Kevin Weil as chief product officer and former Nextdoor Chief Executive Officer Sarah Friar as chief financial officer. The ChatGPT-maker's rival, Anthropic, also has recruited big tech talent recently, hiring former Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger as chief product officer in May. While OpenAI is adding to its leadership team, it has also faced some high-profile staff departures, including former co-founder John Schulman and prominent researcher Jan Leike, who both moved to Anthropic.
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ChatGPT-Maker OpenAI Taps Former Meta Exec To Drive Strategy Amid Growing Exodus - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)
After a series of high-profile employees left ChatGPT-parent OpenAI, the startup has onboarded former Meta Platforms, Inc. META executive, Irina Kofman. What Happened: Kofman will be reporting directly to OpenAI CTO Mira Murati and will initially focus on safety and preparedness, reported Bloomberg, citing a company spokesperson. According to Kofman's LinkedIn page, she has served as a senior director of product management for generative AI at Meta for five years. See Also: Take-Two Interactive Software Shares Are Trading Higher Today: What's Going On Earlier in June, OpenAI also added former Instagram and Twitter (now rebranded as X) executive Kevin Weil as chief product officer. The startup has also onboarded former Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar as chief financial officer, the report noted. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: Microsoft Corp.-backed MSFT OpenAI has also seen some notable exits. This includes one of OpenAI's co-founders John Schulman and researcher Jan Leike, who have joined Anthropic, a rival to OpenAI. In May, OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever also announced his departure from the company after nearly a decade. In August, another OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman also announced that he is taking a sabbatical. The AI startup has also been involved in a talent war with other tech companies. In April, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also said that OpenAI has been aggressively poaching engineers from his EV giant. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Justin Bieber, Eminem, Drake, And Linus Tech Tips Had Their YouTube Accounts Hacked: The Streaming Giant Now Has A Solution - An AI Chatbot Photo courtesy: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
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OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has appointed Irina Kofman, a former Meta executive, to head its strategic initiatives. This move comes amid a series of high-profile departures and as the AI company seeks to strengthen its leadership team.
OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company known for developing ChatGPT, has made a significant addition to its leadership team. Irina Kofman, a former executive at Meta (previously Facebook), has been appointed to lead OpenAI's strategic initiatives 1. This move comes at a crucial time for the company as it navigates through a period of rapid growth and increasing competition in the AI sector.
Irina Kofman brings a wealth of experience to OpenAI, having previously served as the chief operating officer of Meta AI 2. Her tenure at Meta spanned nearly a decade, during which she played a pivotal role in advancing the company's AI initiatives. At OpenAI, Kofman will be responsible for overseeing strategic projects, a role that is expected to be crucial in shaping the company's future direction and maintaining its competitive edge in the AI landscape.
The appointment of Kofman comes at a time when OpenAI has been experiencing a series of high-profile departures. The company has seen several key executives leave in recent months, including three board members who departed in March 3. This trend has raised concerns about potential instability within the organization and has highlighted the need for OpenAI to strengthen its leadership team.
Kofman's hiring is seen as part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to consolidate its position in the rapidly evolving AI industry. The company has been making significant strides with its ChatGPT technology, which has garnered widespread attention and adoption. However, OpenAI faces increasing competition from other tech giants and startups alike, all vying for dominance in the AI space.
As OpenAI continues to grow and expand its influence, it faces several challenges. These include managing the ethical implications of AI development, addressing concerns about AI safety, and navigating complex regulatory landscapes across different countries. Kofman's experience in handling large-scale AI projects at Meta could prove invaluable in helping OpenAI address these challenges while capitalizing on new opportunities in the field.
The move to bring Kofman on board signals OpenAI's commitment to maintaining its leadership position in AI innovation. It also highlights the increasing competition for top talent in the AI industry, as companies seek executives with the expertise to drive forward complex and cutting-edge technologies. This hire may potentially influence the strategies of other AI companies and could lead to further movement of high-level executives within the tech industry.
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OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research company, is experiencing significant changes in its leadership structure. CEO Sam Altman aims to flatten the organization and promote new leaders as the company considers transitioning to a for-profit model.
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OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, faces a significant leadership shakeup as several top executives, including CTO Mira Murati, resign. This comes as the company considers transitioning to a for-profit model and seeks new funding.
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OpenAI hires former Meta AR executive Caitlin Kalinowski to lead its robotics and consumer hardware initiatives, signaling a significant move into physical AI applications.
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OpenAI experiences a significant brain drain as key technical leaders depart, raising questions about the company's future direction and ability to maintain its competitive edge in AI research and development.
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Meta has appointed Clara Shih, former Salesforce AI CEO, to lead its new Business AI group, aiming to develop AI tools for businesses using Meta's platforms. This move signifies Meta's expansion into enterprise AI solutions and its commitment to making cutting-edge AI accessible to businesses.
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