Thinking Machines Lab announced the development of a new AI technology called interaction models, intended to enable AI to interrupt users during conversations. Founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, the company asserts that traditional AI models function sequentially—listening and then responding—whereas its new model aims for simultaneous input processing and response generation, akin to a phone call.
The company has named its model TML-Interaction-Small, which reportedly responds in 0.40 seconds, closely matching the speed of natural human conversation. This performance exceeds that of similar models developed by OpenAI and Google, according to the company. The technical capability of this model is described as “full duplex.”
Currently, TML-Interaction-Small is only available in a research preview phase and is not open to the public. Thinking Machines Labs plans to roll out a limited research preview in the next few months, followed by a wider release planned for later this year.
While the benchmarks for the TML-Interaction-Small have been characterized as impressive, the effectiveness of the model in practical applications will only be verified once it is accessible to users. The concept of integrating interactivity into AI models has been noted as a novel approach, though its ultimate success remains to be determined.
