Mira Murati CEO Thinking Machines Lab, Keynote Speaker

Mira Murati

Founder & CEO, Thinking Machines Lab | Former CTO, OpenAI | TIME 100 Most Influential in AI

Mira guides leaders through the strategic and human dimensions of AI transformation—showing how to build organizations where technology amplifies human potential.

Keynote Topics:

  • Building AI Products That Change the World: Lessons from ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Beyond – Inside stories and strategic insights from leading the development of breakthrough AI products that reached billions of users, including the importance of iterative deployment, real-world feedback, and balancing innovation with responsibility.
  • The AI-First Enterprise: Reinventing Your Organization for the Intelligence Era – How becoming AI-first requires fundamental transformation of company culture, structure, and strategy—including the courage to cannibalize existing business lines and rebuild organizational identity around human-AI collaboration.
  • Responsible AI Deployment: Balancing Innovation and Safety – Why releasing AI products iteratively to real users is essential for building safe, beneficial systems, and how organizations can navigate the tension between rapid innovation and responsible development through structured feedback loops and safety frameworks.
  • Leading Through Crisis: Lessons from the Heart of AI's Transformation – Personal reflections on navigating organizational upheaval, maintaining principled leadership during uncertainty, and the importance of staying true to core values when building transformative technology at unprecedented scale.
  • Democratizing AI: Making Advanced Technology Accessible and Human-Aligned – How to design AI systems and tools that extend individual agency rather than concentrate power, ensure equitable access to AI capabilities, and maintain human values at the center of technological advancement.

speaker Bio: 

Mira Murati is one of the most influential voices in artificial intelligence today, recognized for her leadership in developing breakthrough AI technologies and her vision for responsible AI deployment. Born in Albania in 1988, Murati's journey from a small Balkan nation to the forefront of global AI innovation exemplifies determination and excellence. At age 16, she moved to Canada on scholarship to attend the prestigious Pearson United World College, later earning her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Dartmouth College in 2012. This engineering foundation, combined with her passion for human-centered technology, has defined her approach to building AI systems that serve people rather than replace them.

Murati's career trajectory showcases her ability to lead at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and product strategy. After brief stints at Goldman Sachs and Zodiac Aerospace, she joined Tesla in 2013 as Senior Product Manager for the Model X, where she deepened her understanding of AI through work on Autopilot systems. She then moved to Leap Motion, leading product and engineering teams developing augmented reality interfaces. In 2018, Murati joined OpenAI as VP of Applied AI and Partnerships, quickly rising to become Chief Technology Officer in 2022. In this role, she led the development of some of the most transformative AI products of the modern era: ChatGPT, DALL-E, Codex, and Sora—technologies that fundamentally changed how billions of people interact with artificial intelligence.

Her leadership style emphasizes iterative development and real-world feedback. Rather than perfecting AI in isolation, Murati championed releasing products to users early, believing that societal integration and human feedback are essential to building safe, beneficial AI. This philosophy guided OpenAI's public deployment strategy and helped shape responsible AI development practices across the industry. In November 2023, Murati briefly served as interim CEO of OpenAI during a tumultuous board dispute that captivated Silicon Valley, demonstrating her standing within the organization and the broader tech community. Though her tenure lasted only three days, the episode underscored her reputation as a steady, principled leader during crisis.

In September 2024, Murati made the significant decision to leave OpenAI to pursue 'her own exploration,' founding Thinking Machines Lab in February 2025. Her new venture, which has raised $2 billion in funding from prominent investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Nvidia, and AMD, focuses on developing accessible, customizable, and human-aligned AI systems. The startup launched its first product, Tinker, designed to help researchers and developers fine-tune AI models without massive computing infrastructure—embodying Murati's commitment to democratizing AI capabilities. Her advisory firm, Open Machine, works with Fortune 500 companies including Novartis, Samsung, Salesforce, and Google, guiding them through deep cultural and technical transformations in the age of AI.

Murati is a compelling speaker who bridges technical expertise with strategic business insight. She addresses the practical challenges of AI adoption—from organizational restructuring to ethical deployment—with authenticity shaped by firsthand experience scaling AI from research to global impact. Her perspective on AI's role is nuanced: she advocates for government regulation and responsible development while remaining optimistic about AI's potential to improve healthcare, education, and human creativity. Though she has faced criticism for comments about AI's impact on creative jobs, she consistently emphasizes that AI should extend individual agency and be distributed equitably.

With nearly 2 million followers across social platforms and recognition by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in AI, Murati represents a new generation of technology leaders who understand that building transformative AI requires not just technical brilliance but wisdom about its human implications. For organizations navigating AI transformation, Murati offers rare insight from someone who has operated at the highest levels of AI development and now helps businesses and institutions adapt to this revolutionary technology. Her message is clear: becoming AI-first requires reinventing organizational identity, including the willingness to 'cannibalize your own business lines' to build something better—and it demands keeping humanity at the center of every decision.

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