OpenAI Co-Founder Ilya Sutskever Launches New AI Company — All You Need To Know

OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who left the company in May, has launched his own AI venture, Safe Superintelligence Inc. (SSI), alongside former Y Combinator partner Daniel Gross and ex-OpenAI engineer Daniel Levy.

Sutskever, who played a pivotal role in AI safety research at OpenAI as chief scientist, made the announcement via a post on social media platform X.

In a statement signed by Sutskever, Gross, and Levy, SSI outlined its mission to tackle the critical challenge of developing safe superintelligent AI. The company has launched what they claim to be the world’s first dedicated SSI lab, emphasising a singular goal and product focus on ensuring the safety of advanced AI technologies.

The post on X read, "Superintelligence is within reach. Building safe superintelligence (SSI) is the most important technical problem of our​​ time. We've started the world’s first straight-shot SSI lab, with one goal and one product: a safe superintelligence. It’s called Safe Superintelligence Inc. SSI is our mission, our name, and our entire product roadmap, because it is our sole focus. Our team, investors, and business model are all aligned to achieve SSI."

Sutskever's departure from OpenAI, where he spearheaded efforts alongside Jan Leike in AI safety and alignment, followed a reported dispute with the company's leadership over strategic approaches to AI safety.

The new company plans to operate from offices in Palo Alto and Tel Aviv, leveraging these locations to attract top-tier technical talent. The recruitment drive targets engineers and researchers dedicated exclusively to advancing SSI technologies, offering them an opportunity to contribute to solving what SSI describes as the most pressing technical challenge of our era.

"Our singular focus means no distraction by management overhead or product cycles, and our business model means safety, security, and progress are all insulated from short-term commercial pressures. We are an American company with offices in Palo Alto and Tel Aviv, where we have deep roots and the ability to recruit top technical talent."

"We are assembling a lean, cracked team of the world’s best engineers and researchers dedicated to focusing on SSI and nothing else. If that’s you, we offer an opportunity to do your life’s work and help solve the most important technical challenge of our age. Now is the time. Join us," the team's post on X read.

According to Bloomberg, Sutskever has declined to name Safe Superintelligence's financial backers or disclose how much he's raised.