OpenAI Co-Founder Sutskever’s New AI Startup SSI Raises $1 Billion for Safety Focus

Post by: Omar Nasser

Photo : AFP

Safe Superintelligence (SSI), the newly established AI company co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, former chief scientist at OpenAI, has secured $1 billion in funding to advance the development of secure artificial intelligence systems. The funds will be used to enhance the company’s computing resources and recruit top talent. SSI, which currently employs just 10 people, plans to operate from two key locations: Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Although SSI has not disclosed its valuation, sources indicate it is valued at approximately $5 billion. This significant investment reflects continued confidence from major venture capital firms, even amidst a broader trend of reduced interest in high-risk, long-term AI ventures. Notable investors in SSI include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, SV Angel, and NFDG, an investment firm led by Nat Friedman and SSI's CEO Daniel Gross.

Daniel Gross emphasized the importance of having investors who are aligned with SSI's mission to advance towards safe superintelligence. He noted that the company plans to dedicate a few years to rigorous R&D before bringing its product to market. AI safety—concerned with preventing AI from causing harm—is a critical area of focus for SSI, especially given growing concerns about the potential dangers of rogue AI.

The legislative landscape around AI safety is currently contentious. A California bill proposing new safety regulations has polarized the industry, with companies like OpenAI and Google opposing it, while others, including Anthropic and Elon Musk's xAI, support it.

Sutskever, a leading figure in AI, co-founded SSI in June alongside Gross and Daniel Levy, a former OpenAI researcher. Sutskever and Levy hold key scientific roles within the company, while Gross focuses on computing power and fundraising.

Sutskever’s decision to leave OpenAI followed a tumultuous period that included a controversial board decision to remove CEO Sam Altman, which was later reversed. Sutskever’s new venture is structured as a traditional for-profit entity, contrasting with OpenAI’s more unconventional model.

SSI is currently focused on assembling a highly capable team, with a strong emphasis on candidates' character and intrinsic motivation rather than solely on their credentials. The company is exploring partnerships with cloud providers and chip manufacturers to meet its computing needs, though specific partners have not yet been chosen.

Sutskever, known for advocating the scaling hypothesis—which suggests that AI models improve with increased computing power—plans to approach this concept differently at SSI. He emphasized that doing something different could lead to groundbreaking advancements, rather than simply accelerating existing methods.

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