Ex-OpenAI Leader Raises US$1 Billion for Safety-focused AI Startup

Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a startup co-founded by former OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, has secured US$1 billion in seed funding to develop advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems focused on safety.

Reuters reported that the funding round, led by venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global and SV Angel, has raised the value of the three month old company to an estimated US$5 billion.

The funds will be used to acquire computing power and recruit top engineering and research talent. Currently, SSI has 10 employees and operates out of offices in Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

SSI's mission is to create safe super-intelligent AI systems that won't cause harm to humans.

Aside from Sutskever, the fledgling company's leadership team includes Daniel Gross, former head of AI initiatives at Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Daniel Levy, previously a researcher at OpenAI. Levy serves as principal scientist at SSI, while Gross handles fundraising and computing infrastructure.

Gross emphasized that the company’s singular focus on long-term AI safety will allow it to operate without the pressure of immediate profitability. "It's important for us to be surrounded by investors who understand, respect and support our mission, which is to make a straight shot to safe superintelligence and in particular to spend a couple of years doing R&D on our product before bringing it to market," he explained to Reuters on Wednesday (September 4).

Sutskever founded SSI after leaving OpenAI in May. He had played a key role in its alignment efforts, leading the "Superalignment" team that was tasked with ensuring AI systems remained in line with human values.

He left after internal disagreements at OpenAI that saw CEO Sam Altman ousted and quickly reinstated. After Sutskever and fellow team leader Jan Leike’s exit, OpenAI disbanded the Superalignment team.

Despite a slowdown in AI investment due to concerns about long-term profitability, SSI’s successful funding round underscores the continued willingness of some investors to back projects led by well-known technologists.

One of SSI's priorities is to hire a small, highly trusted team of engineers and researchers. Gross said the hiring process focuses not just on technical ability, but also on character and alignment with the company’s culture.

In addition to securing top talent, SSI expects to eventually secure partnerships with cloud service providers and chip manufacturers to address its computing needs. While the company has not yet provided specifics, major tech players like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) have historically supported AI infrastructure for similar ventures, providing the computing power necessary for large-scale AI development.

OpenAI is also in the midst of raising billions of dollars in a new funding round, with major investors such as Microsoft, NVIDIA and Apple reportedly in talks to invest in the AI giant.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.