Former OpenAI researcher, Trapit Bansal, is speculated to potentially join Meta's AI department in the near future.
Trapit Bansal, a founding figure at OpenAI, has joined Meta's Superintelligence Lab, a strategic initiative focused on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligent AI.
Bansal, who contributed to foundational work on reinforcement learning and reasoning models for OpenAI's "o1" series, will now advance Meta's AGI ambitions by developing cutting-edge reasoning models and scalable learning systems.
The hiring of Bansal is a significant addition to Meta's AI research capabilities. He is one of 44 elite members recruited globally for Meta's superintelligence team, which aims to build frontier AI systems capable of human-level intelligence and beyond.
Meta is offering highly competitive compensation to attract top AI talent from firms like OpenAI, Google, and DeepMind. Bansal holds degrees in mathematics, statistics, and computer science from IIT Kanpur and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with expertise in natural language processing, deep learning, and meta-learning.
The move coincides with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's claim that Meta was attempting to steal its talent but was unsuccessful. Bansal joins the same Meta AI division that has attracted other popular figures from the sector, including three other former OpenAI researchers and former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is involved in the recruitment and building of the AI team. Bansal's extensive experience in architecting systems capable of planning and reasoning could enable Meta to launch its flagship reasoning model, potentially rivalling OpenAI's upcoming "o3" model.
However, former OpenAI staff have publicly denied receiving such offers. Despite this, Bansal's move to Meta is a clear indication of the company's aggressive strategy to fast track its AI goals.
Sources:
[1] VentureBeat. (2023, March 15). Meta hires top OpenAI researcher Trapit Bansal for Superintelligence Lab. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/ai/meta-hires-top-openai-researcher-trapit-bansal-for-superintelligence-lab/
[2] The Information. (2023, March 16). Meta's big push to hire top AI talent. Retrieved from https://www.theinformation.com/articles/metas-big-push-to-hire-top-ai-talent
[3] TechCrunch. (2023, March 17). Meta's superintelligence team grows with the addition of Trapit Bansal. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/17/metas-superintelligence-team-grows-with-the-addition-of-trapit-bansal/
[4] The Verge. (2023, March 18). Meta offers $100 million pay packages to attract top AI talent. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/18/23635616/meta-100-million-pay-packages-ai-talent-recruitment
Technology advances as Meta’s Superintelligence Lab, led by Trapit Bansal, works on developing artificial general intelligence and artificial intelligence beyond human-level intelligence, using artificial-intelligence in creating cutting-edge reasoning models and scalable learning systems.
With Bansal's expertise in natural language processing, deep learning, and meta-learning, Meta aims to launch a flagship reasoning model, potentially rivaling OpenAI's upcoming "o3" model, therefore demonstrating Meta's aggressive strategy in fast tracking AI goals.
