Ilya Sutskever Raises $1B for Safe Superintelligence, a New AI Startup Focused on AI Safety

Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder of OpenAI who left the artificial intelligence startup in May, has raised $1 billion for his new venture, Safe Superintelligence, or SSI, from investors.

In a post on X, the company disclosed that investors included SV Angel, DST Global, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and NFDG, an investment partnership co-managed by SSI executive Daniel Gross.

In May, Sutskever announced the new endeavor on X, writing, “We will pursue safe superintelligence in a straight shot, with one focus, one goal, and one product.”

Chief scientist Sutskever co-led the Superalignment team at OpenAI with Jan Leike, who departed in May to work for competitor artificial intelligence company Anthropic. Only a year after announcing the group, OpenAI dissolved the team shortly after their departure. 

Also Read: OpenAI Co-Founder Ilya Sutskever Launches Safe Superintelligence Inc. for Secure AI Development

At the time, Leike stated that OpenAI’s “safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products” in a post on X.

Along with Daniel Levy, a former employee of OpenAI, and Daniel Gross, who handled Apple’s AI and search initiatives, Sutskever founded SSI. The business maintains offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Palo Alto, California.

The corporation wrote on X, “SSI is our mission, our name, and our entire product roadmap because it is our sole focus.” “We are not distracted by product cycles or management overhead because of our singular focus, and our business model protects safety, security, and advancement from short-term commercial pressures.”

Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, was temporarily removed in November, with Sutskever being one of the board members engaged.

Also Read: Jakub Pachocki is Appointed as OpenAI’s New Chief Scientist, Ilya Sutskever Steps Down

According to a statement released by OpenAI’s board in November, Altman had not been “consistently candid in his communications with the board.” The problem soon began to appear more complicated. Sutskever focused his attention on making sure artificial intelligence wouldn’t damage people, according to the Wall Street Journal and other media sites, while others, like Altman, were more anxious to move forward with providing new technologies.

In an open letter, nearly every employee of OpenAI declared their intention to quit in opposition to the board’s decision. A few days later, Altman returned to the business.

Sutskever issued a public apology for his part in the incident after Altman was abruptly fired and before he was promptly reinstated.

On November 20, Sutskever posted on X, saying, “I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never meant to cause harm to OpenAI. I adore what we’ve created together, and I’ll stop at nothing to bring the business back together.”

Also Read: OpenAI Crisis deepens after Altman and Sutskever meeting