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1 episodes · 15 quoted claims
Maithra Raghu began collaborating with researchers at Google Brain in 2015, before OpenAI existed.
“I started collaborating, working with folks at Google Brain all the way back in 2015, and to put that in perspective for where the the AI space is right now, this was before OpenAI even existed.”
Facebook had just started Facebook AI Research with Yann LeCun joining, when Raghu began working with Google Brain.
“Facebook had just started the the Facebook AI research effort with with Yann LeCun joining them, and and that was that was basically it.”
Raghu says international math Olympiad competitors are drawn to Trinity College, Cambridge.
“if you compete internationally in an Olympiad, that just takes you straight to Trinity College, um, in Cambridge, uh, that just pulls everybody across Europe who's competed in these these Olympiads.”
Maithra Raghu had about ten years of experience as an AI researcher before founding Samaya AI.
“I'd had ten years as an AI researcher at that point. I had this beautiful body of of work.”
Raghu says that from Google Brain she saw large language model capabilities coming together around 2019 and 2020.
“sitting where I was in Google Brain, you started seeing the pieces come together in 2019, 2020 or so.”
Raghu says the wider world noticed large language models when ChatGPT was released in late 2022.
“I think the world saw it in late 2022 when ChatGPT came out and everyone started paying attention.”
The name Samaya means time or a moment in time and has roots in Sanskrit.
“Samaya actually means time or or moment in time. So I I really like the name. It, um, has a history in in, um, Sanskrit”
Samaya AI created Criteria eval, which grades answers against a rubric by how many rubric items they address, instead of checking one numerical answer.
“is we actually created an evaluation rubric that you would use to evaluate different types of answers and then grade on sort of how many different things did they did they touch in the the rubric.”
Samaya AI has an internal project called causal world models, with some results shared as a research preview.
“One thing we've been working on internally, so it's a it's a project we have called, um, causal world models. Um, we posted some things about it in research preview”
Raghu says the term 'agent' became popular around 2024 but real agents did not appear until late 2025.
“if the the term agent became very popular in 2024 or so, I don't think we had real agents until about late last year.”
Raghu defines an AI workflow as a hard-coded, specific set of steps, unlike an agent that makes its own decisions.
“a workflow is very hard coded. So it might be multiple steps, but it's a very specific set of steps.”
Raghu says Claude Code, released in late 2025, was an early example of real AI agents.
“late last year, you know, I think Claude Code was like an early beginning of this.”
Raghu cites Waymo's self-driving cars as an example of an AI system made of many components rather than a single model.
“Actually took a a Waymo in today, and, uh, and but that's a that's a system, that's not a single model by itself”
Samaya AI focuses on investment decision-making within financial services.
“Samaya is laser focused on investment decision making, which we think is at the heart of the the industry.”
Samaya AI's stated mission is taking people from information to conviction.
“the company's mission is taking people from information to conviction.”