Ilya Sutskever, the former chief scientist of OpenAI, has joined forces with Daniel Levy, a former OpenAI engineer, and Daniel Gross, an investor and former partner in Y Combinator, to create Safe Superintelligence, Inc. (SSI). The company's name clearly indicates its focus on developing artificial intelligence (AI) while prioritizing safety and capabilities.

Headquartered in the United States with offices in Palo Alto and Tel Aviv, SSI aims to advance AI by simultaneously enhancing its safety and capabilities. The founders emphasized that their singular focus means they are not distracted by management overhead or product cycles, and their business model ensures that safety, security, and progress are insulated from short-term commercial pressures.

Concerns About AI Safety

Sutskever and Gross have long been concerned about the potential risks of AI. Sutskever left OpenAI in May, and Levy followed suit a few days later. Both were part of the Superalignment team, which was created in July 2023 to explore how to control AI systems much smarter than humans. OpenAI had dedicated 20% of its computing power to this team. However, after the departure of its researchers, OpenAI dissolved the Superalignment team.

Other prominent tech figures share these concerns. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, referred to artificial general intelligence (AGI) as "risky." Elon Musk, once an OpenAI supporter, and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, were among over 2,600 tech leaders and researchers who urged a six-month pause in AI training to consider the profound risks they pose.

SSI Seeks Talent

The SSI announcement highlighted the company's need for engineers and researchers to join their mission. With a strong team in place, SSI is poised to make significant strides in AI development while prioritizing safety and capabilities.