Sources: former OpenAI Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil is aiming to raise $150M for a new AI science startup, seeking a valuation of at least $750M (Business Insider)

Kevin Weil, the ex-chief product officer of OpenAI, is seeking a valuation of no less than $750 million for his new AI science startup, sources reveal. Weil, who recently parted ways with OpenAI, aims to raise $150 million for this venture, according to those familiar with the talks. The specifics of the company are still in flux and may undergo changes.

Weil's move to launch this startup underscores the evolving focus in AI, where the emphasis is transitioning from chatbots to scientific applications. Many former OpenAI and Google personnel are now spearheading startups aiming to expedite scientific discovery, ranging from drug design to autonomous experiments. Weil, who was part of Prism at OpenAI, a platform meant to integrate advanced AI models into scientists' work, left the company earlier this year.

Before joining OpenAI, Weil held product roles at Meta and Twitter. He currently serves on boards of Cisco and Stoke Space. While the specifics of his new venture remain undisclosed, sources indicate his startup is geared towards gathering scientific data for AI models. Weil is not alone in leaving OpenAI; Brad Lightcap, the former COO, recently departed to embark on a new endeavor.

Fidji Simo, the former CEO of applications, stepped down citing health concerns and has since taken on a part-time advisory role. In April, Weil's exit paralleled the departures of Sora's head, Bill Peebles, and Srinivas Narayanan, OpenAI's CTO for business applications. Weil's upcoming AI-for-science startup joins a fiercely competitive landscape as companies strive to leverage AI to streamline the scientific process.

Competitors like Periodic Labs, co-founded by former OpenAI researcher Liam Fedus and former Google DeepMind researcher Ekin Dogus Cubuk, are developing AI scientists and autonomous labs where robots can conduct physical experiments and create new training data. Recent departures include Jeff Dean, Google's chief scientist, and three others who left to establish Discovery Loop, an AI startup targeting AI applications in science and engineering.