Liam Fedus, who recently served as the Vice President of research for post-training at OpenAI, is taking an exciting leap into the world of AI-driven materials science. He’s announced his departure from OpenAI to start a new venture focused on this innovative field. This news first came out through The Information, and Fedus later confirmed it on X, the social media platform.
In his announcement, Fedus shared his eagerness to bring AI into the realm of physics, a subject he’s been passionate about since his undergraduate days. He mentioned, “My undergrad was in physics and I’m keen to apply this technology there.” He also highlighted the strategic role AI plays in scientific research. Interestingly, OpenAI sees this potential too and plans to invest in and collaborate with his new startup.
The startup is gearing up to enter the competitive arena of AI-driven materials science, where it’ll face off against big names like Google DeepMind and Microsoft. These companies have already made notable progress in recent years. For example, in 2023, DeepMind’s AI system Gnome gained attention for discovering new crystals that could be key in material development. On the other hand, Microsoft has rolled out AI tools like MatterGen and MatterSim to aid in material discovery.
Despite these advancements, there’s still some skepticism among experts about whether current AI technologies can truly revolutionize scientific discoveries. However, the interest and investment from major tech companies show just how promising AI’s role in materials science could be.
