Thinking Machines Lab, the AI startup founded by former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, has introduced a new type of AI system that processes user input and generates responses simultaneously rather than waiting for a speaker to finish.
The company announced the research project on Monday, describing the system as an “interaction model.”
Current AI voice systems typically operate in a turn-based format where a user speaks, the model listens, and the response only begins after the input is complete.
Thinking Machines Lab said its approach is intended to resemble real-time human conversation more closely.
The company’s model, called TML-Interaction-Small, uses what is known as a “full duplex” system, allowing the AI to process incoming speech while generating responses at the same time.
According to the startup, the model responds in approximately 0.40 seconds, which it said is closer to the pace of natural human dialogue and faster than comparable systems from companies including Google and OpenAI.
Company Positions Model As Research Preview
Thinking Machines Lab said the system remains in the research stage and is not yet publicly available.
The startup plans to launch a “limited research preview” in the coming months, followed by a broader release later this year.
The company did not provide detailed information about commercial applications or product integration timelines.
The announcement focused primarily on the technical structure of the model and the concept of building interactivity directly into AI systems rather than layering it on top of existing chatbot frameworks.
The company argued that conversational responsiveness should function more like a phone call than a text-based exchange.
Benchmarks Highlight Response Speed
The startup said the model’s response time compares favorably with existing voice AI systems developed by larger competitors.
However, the company has not yet released public demonstrations or broader testing data that would allow outside researchers to independently verify the experience in real-world settings.
The report noted that while the benchmark figures appear strong, the practical performance of the model will remain unclear until broader public testing becomes available.
Thinking Machines Lab was founded by Murati after her departure from OpenAI, where she previously served as chief technology officer and played a central role in the development of products including ChatGPT.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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