Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has announced the launch of Thinking Machines, a new AI research and product company.

With a mission to democratise access to AI and create systems that are both customisable and capable of working collaboratively with humans, the startup is setting ambitious goals to transform how AI integrates into everyday life and industry.

“We’re building a future where everyone has access to the knowledge and tools to make AI work for their unique needs and goals,” the company explains.

Bridging gaps in the current AI landscape
Thinking Machines aims to address key gaps in the current AI landscape. While AI capabilities have advanced dramatically, there remain significant challenges in making these technologies accessible and practical for widespread use.

Currently, knowledge about cutting-edge AI systems is concentrated among a select few research labs, which limits public understanding and hinders broader innovation. The company highlights that systems today are also challenging to customise for individual needs and values, a critical hurdle for real-world adoption.

Thinking Machines sees the solution in creating AI systems that are more widely understood, customisable, and capable. The company plans to combine intellectual openness, advanced infrastructure, and innovative AI safety practices to empower both researchers and end-users.

Murati’s team brings formidable expertise to this mission, comprising scientists, engineers, and technologists responsible for creating some of the most widely used AI tools, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Character.ai, and open-source frameworks like PyTorch and OpenAI Gym.

A human-centric approach to AI
A key cornerstone of the company’s philosophy is collaboration. Thinking Machines intends to maintain a culture of openness by sharing research papers, technical blog posts, and code with the wider AI community.

“Scientific progress is a collective effort,” the company states. “We believe that we’ll most effectively advance humanity’s understanding of AI by collaborating with the wider community of researchers and builders.”

This open research ethos reflects a broader trend in the AI sector, where transparency and community engagement are increasingly seen as drivers of not just innovation, but also societal trust in AI technologies.

Unlike many organisations focused purely on creating autonomous AI, Thinking Machines is also putting a strong emphasis on human-AI collaboration.

Multimodal systems – AI capable of working with a combination of formats like text, video, and imagery – are central to this human-centric vision. These systems are designed to interact seamlessly with people, helping users leverage AI to achieve specific goals and solve meaningful problems.

The focus on personalisation also sets Thinking Machines apart. The team envisions AI systems that go beyond narrow-use cases, enabling diverse applications across fields ranging from scientific research to engineering and creative work.

The company is particularly interested in creating AI tools that adapt to individual expertise and situations, allowing users to “make AI work for their unique needs and goals.”

Thinking Machines will prioritise strong foundations
While many AI startups are rushing to deploy systems, Thinking Machines is aiming to get the foundations right. This rests on two major pillars: model intelligence and high-quality infrastructure.

Murati’s team is building frontier AI models capable of pushing the boundaries of fields like programming and scientific discovery. These advanced technologies could enable revolutionary applications, from uncovering new scientific insights to achieving engineering breakthroughs.

Equally, the company is committed to designing efficient, secure, and user-friendly infrastructure to drive productivity and support the next generation of AI systems.

Rather than opting for shortcuts, Thinking Machines is taking a patient, methodical approach to maximise long-term impact.

Advanced multimodal capabilities are another area of focus. By integrating modalities like language, imagery, and sensory data, the company aims to build systems capable of richer communication and deeper real-world integration.

Ethical AI through product-driven learning
Thinking Machines also plans to intertwine research and product design, an approach that not only informs innovation but also ensures relevance and usability.

Products will drive iterative learning, enabling the team to gain insights from real-world deployment. Meanwhile, real-world testing will further solidify the company’s commitment to AI safety, blending proactive research with rigorous post-deployment monitoring.

Murati’s team outlines three key principles for advancing AI safety:

Maintaining a high safety bar to prevent misuse while preserving user freedoms.
Sharing best practices with the industry for building secure AI systems.
Accelerating external research on AI alignment by providing access to code, datasets, and model specifications.
The team also recognises that the most meaningful breakthroughs often come from “rethinking our objectives, not just optimising existing metrics.”

By measuring real-world value, Thinking Machines hopes to create AI systems that truly benefit society across a wider array of use cases.

Thinking Machines: A fresh AI startup, guided by experience
The launch of Thinking Machines signifies the next chapter for Mira Murati, who played a crucial role in leading some of OpenAI’s most successful projects.

Murati’s wealth of experience, alongside a team of world-class AI creators, puts the new venture on solid footing to make a significant impact on the sector. By affirming a commitment to openness, collaboration, and long-term thinking, the startup may provide an antidote to common criticisms of the fast-moving AI world, from opacity to ethical risks.

The mission is clear: to empower people in every industry to harness AI’s transformative potential—on their terms.

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Japanese investment firm Metaplanet is intensifying its Bitcoin acquisition strategy, recently investing $12.9 million to secure an additional 135 BTC. This latest purchase boosts their total Bitcoin assets to a notable 2,235 BTC, as the company sets an ambitious goal of acquiring 10,000 BTC by the close of 2025.

How Does Metaplanet Plan to Grow Its Holdings?
The firm has firmly established Bitcoin as a key component of its financial strategy. With an average cost of 14.3 million Japanese yen ($95,951) per unit, Metaplanet’s aggressive buying reflects its confidence in Bitcoin as a digital reserve asset.

What Impact Do Bitcoin Purchases Have on Stock Performance?
Following the latest Bitcoin acquisition, Metaplanet’s stock experienced a slight dip of 1.3% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Despite this, the long-term trend appears positive, with a 67.5% increase in share price this year, and a remarkable 233.7% rise over the past twelve months.

Metaplanet aims for a total of 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025.
The firm’s stock has seen considerable growth despite short-term fluctuations.
Institutional interest in Bitcoin is surging in Japan due to Metaplanet’s strategy.
Metaplanet’s strategic focus on Bitcoin accumulation is indicative of a growing trend among corporate investors towards decentralized assets, showcasing a shift in traditional financial paradigms within Japan.

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Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund investors have mainly been utilizing the vehicle for arbitrage strategies, having only 44% of inflows associated with long-term investments, as per a crypto research company.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. have captivated about $39 billion in net inflows since their rollout in January last year. Also, just $17.5 billion, less than half, describes authentic long-only purchasing, reported Markus Thielen, 10x Research head of research.
The major part, or about 56% is possibly linked to arbitrage strategies, where short Bitcoin futures place offset inflows, he added, giving reference to the carry trade, where traders purchase spot Bitcoin by ETFs and at the same time lower Bitcoin futures and benefiting from the difference between spot and futures prices.

Thielen said that it means that the real demand for Bitcoin as a long-term asset in multi-asset portfolios is notably smaller than what the media portrays.

Funding rates influence
Instead of mirroring wide-based institutional adoption, the purchasing and selling of Bitcoin ETFs is mainly influenced by funding rates, having the majority of investors aiming on short-term arbitrage instead of long-term capital appreciation.

Thielen further mentioned that the biggest holders of BlackRock’s IBIT ETF are hedge funds and trading companies that specialize in using market inabilities and seizing yield propagates instead of taking entirely directional risk.

Having funding rates and basis spreads recently too low to give grounds for new arbitrage places, hedge funds and trading companies have come to an end adding inflows to Bitcoin ETFs and are actively uncoiled current positions that no longer propose the profitable arbitrage opportunities witnessed a few months ago, he asserted.

Last week witnessed four continuous trading days of outflows, having $552 billion leaving the products, as per Farside Investors. At the same time, spot Bitcoin is still range-bound for the week.

Tides may be relocating
This harms market sentiment, as media reports mainly frame these outflows as bearish signals, mentioned Thielen, who asserted that the uncoiling process is really market-neutral since it consists of selling ETFs when at the same time purchasing Bitcoin futures, successfully offsetting any directional market influence.

The chief executive officer of Real Vision, Raoul Pal said something similar in mid-2024 when he alleged around two-thirds of the net inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs may be driven by arbitrage trading.

Tides may be relocating, however, Thielen revealed that real purchasing flows have surely picked up since the presidential election of the United States. While really long-only Bitcoin purchasing has ramped up since Trump’s election, funding rates have caved in as retail trading volumes have slumped.

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Countries across the globe are doubling down on blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption, with major initiatives rolling out left and right.
Now, the European Central Bank (ECB) is getting in on the action, setting its sights on a blockchain-based payment system, according to Bloomberg.

ECB Races Toward Blockchain Amid Global Crypto Shift
The announcement comes hot on the heels of the ECB’s push for a digital euro. Less than a month ago, the central bank pitched its version of a digital currency. Board member Piero Cipollone has taken the lead in advocating for a stablecoin that Eurozone banks could use, a move that reportedly aims to counter US President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance, as Reuters reports.

Since the start of 2025, the digital asset industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Trump’s election as the first openly pro-crypto president of the United States has sent ripples through the global financial system. His administration’s push to embrace digital assets has set the stage for other nations to follow suit. Less than two months into the year and that domino effect is already in full swing.

With blockchain technology now widely seen as a game-changer, the ECB is eager to establish its blockchain-based payment system. The system would allow financial institutions to settle transactions using central bank money, Bloomberg notes. This move could also be another stepping stone toward a full-fledged central bank digital currency (CBDC).

The ECB’s Blockchain Vision
“This is an important contribution to enhancing European financial market efficiency through innovation,” Cipollone told Bloomberg. His words underscore the growing belief that blockchain technology is no longer just a niche experiment—it’s becoming a fundamental pillar of modern finance. Back in January, Cipollone had already stressed that Europe needed a digital euro, and the latest developments show that the ECB is putting its money where its mouth is.

While it’s still early days, one thing is crystal clear: blockchain is no longer a fringe technology. As more financial institutions and governments throw their weight behind digital assets, the future of money is getting a serious upgrade.

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A convergence of “disparate technologies” such as blockchain, robotics AI, VR and AR could bring immense opportunity in 2025, says the managing director of the Sui Foundation.

Speaking to Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025 in Hong Kong, Christian Thompson said in the mid-term he sees an opportunity with the convergence of a number of technologies, such as AI agents integrated into blockchains.

“The interesting thing with all of these technologies, you get AI, you get robotics, you get like things like AR, VR for gaming, you get blockchain, you get the ability to own your assets in a way,” he said.

“As these technologies converge, you get these watershed moments; I think we’re peering over the edge as it relates to blockchain and AI. Other things will come next. I don’t think it’s very far off. I think it’s in this cycle,” he added.

Blockchain firms have already started integrating AI into blockchain to enhance user experiences and operational efficiency. Decentralized AI infrastructure provider Kite AI launched an AI-focused testnet on Feb. 6.

A day earlier, on Feb. 5, the 0G Foundation launched an $88.88 million ecosystem fund to accelerate projects creating AI-powered decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and autonomous agents, known as DeFAI agents.

Along with greater developments around AI and blockchain, Thompson says this cycle might see “payments actually start to get adopted in meaningful ways,” thanks to regulatory and policy clarity spurring developers to enter the space.

“On the investment side, the liquidity free-up will likely happen. You’ll see VCs and funds and private family offices coming in and feeling more confident to wade into the space. Once you get some regulatory clarity, you will open up a world of investment,” Thompson said.

“From that, you’ll get this shift from Web2 to Web3; they’ll begin to converge. Then you get all this experimentation, research and development work, creating its own flywheel effect.”

US lawmakers and industry leaders have been calling for a regulatory overhaul of the crypto sector under US President Donald Trump’s administration to ensure the nation maintains an edge over global competitors.

Meanwhile some crypto skeptics, such as US Senator Elizabeth Warren, continue to take a hardline toward the industry with calls for stricter crypto laws.

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