Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, has launched a new AI startup with the goal of developing a safe superintelligence. The startup, Safe Superintelligence, has already raised $1 billion in its first funding round.
$1 billion investment for safe AI
Ilya Sutskever’s new company, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), has raised $1 billion in capital from investors just three months after its founding. The company, which focuses on developing a safe artificial intelligence (AI) that surpasses human capabilities, announced this milestone on Wednesday. SSI currently has ten employees and is already valued at $5 billion, according to industry insiders.
Leading venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital are among the major investors backing SSI. Daniel Gross, CEO of SSI, emphasized the importance of having investors who understand and support the company’s mission. “It is important for us to be surrounded by investors who respect and back our mission,” Gross said in an interview. The company’s focus will be on research and development over the next several years before launching its superintelligence product. Initially, SSI will focus on hiring top developers and securing the necessary computing power for training its AI models.
AI risks and industry concerns
The development of superintelligent AI has sparked concerns within the tech industry, including among OpenAI developers. Companies like OpenAI are working on artificial general intelligence (AGI), which can operate independently from human intervention. However, the safety of this technology remains a major issue. Critics warn that AGI could become uncontrollable, posing risks to humans. Last year, even OpenAI’s developers highlighted these potential dangers.
Founders with a shared vision
SSI was founded in June by Ilya Sutskever and Daniel Gross, the former head of Apple’s AI division. Sutskever left OpenAI shortly after playing a pivotal role in the firing and subsequent rehiring of OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, in November. After Altman’s return, Sutskever was removed from OpenAI’s board of directors, leading to his departure from the company to start SSI.
