OpenAI Acquires NY-Based AI Startup Global Illumination

Artificial intelligence company OpenAI announced on Wednesday it has acquired the New York-based AI design studio Global Illumination, making its first public acquisition since founded in 2015.

The start-up, launched by Thomas Dimson, Taylor Gordon, and Joey Flynn in 2021, previously designed and built products for Meta's Instagram and Facebook, and has also worked with other tech giants such as YouTube, Google, Pixar, and Riot Games.

Global Illumination, a studio that uses AI to build creative tools, infrastructure, and digital experiences, will join forces with OpenAI to work on its core products, such as its famous AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Most recently, the company worked on an open-source technology to support the production of an online game. Its co-founder Dimson, a former Director of Engineering at Instagram, has worked on code for the platform's content ranking algorithms, per his LinkedIn and website.

Commenting on the acquisition, Dimson also expressed excitement in a LinkedIn post.

"We’re very excited for the impact they’ll have here at OpenAI," the company concluded in its blog post.  

Edited by Nikola Djuric