Meta Recruits Key OpenAI Researcher to Bolster Its Team in AI Development
Meta's recruitment of key AI figures finally pays off as it is now onboarding an OpenAI researcher who is best known for helping his previous company develop its first reasoning model. It is speculated that this would help bolster Meta's team on their quest to develop an AI reasoning model.
Recruiting Top Talent
Previously, OpenAI's CEO and co-founder, Sam Altman, opened up on the aggressive "poaching" tactics that Meta has enacted to nab the company's engineers and researchers. A source revealed to TechCrunch that Meta has successfully recruited one of the key figures in OpenAI's research team that helped deliver the O1 reasoning model. The former OpenAI researcher now joining Meta is Trapit Bansal, best known for working closely with co-founder Ilya Sutskever, whose work significantly focused on reinforcement learning.
Contributions to AI Development
Based on the report, an OpenAI spokesperson also confirmed Bansal's departure from the company. Additionally, Bansal's LinkedIn page has also updated his employment status, citing that he left OpenAI this June. OpenAI referred to Bansal as a "foundational contributor" in the development of the company's O1 reasoning model that was released last December.
Expansion of Meta's AI Team
Meta is building its "AI superintelligence team" to improve their machine learning technologies available to the public via its platforms and services. This new team is led by Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, whose company received a $15 billion investment from Meta, awarding them a 49% stake in the startup. Bansal is the latest addition to Meta's efforts in AI development, joining former OpenAI researchers Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Meta's Focus on AI
Meta, known for its social media platforms, has been prioritizing artificial intelligence in its development. One significant project is an AI search engine, with reports indicating that the company is already indexing the web for over a year. In furthering its AI capabilities, Meta plans to move towards creating its own AI chips to reduce costs and enhance specialized tasks, moving away from NVIDIA's processors. The company also intends to share its AI technology with potential partners, including the US government.
