Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a new company co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, former chief scientist at OpenAI, has raised $1 billion to develop safe artificial intelligence (AI) systems that could surpass human abilities. The company, which currently has 10 employees, aims to use the funds to buy computing power and hire top talent. Their team will work from Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, Israel.
While SSI didn’t disclose its exact value, sources say the company is valued at $5 billion. This large investment shows that some investors are still willing to back AI companies, even though these startups can take time to become profitable.
Investors include well-known venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and DST Global, along with an investment group led by Nat Friedman and SSI’s CEO Daniel Gross.
“We want investors who understand our mission,” said Gross. “Our goal is to develop safe superintelligence, and we plan to spend a few years on research and development before releasing our product.”
AI safety, which focuses on ensuring AI doesn’t harm people, is a key concern as technology advances. Many fear that AI could act in ways that are dangerous or even threaten human survival.
