“I’m beginning a brand new firm,” Sutskever mentioned of his new undertaking, Protected Superintelligence Inc. (SSI) in an X publish.
In response to SSI’s web site, the lab has “one aim and one product: a protected superintelligence.” SSI says this will probably be achieved by advancing their “capabilities as quick as potential whereas ensuring security at all times stays forward.”
“This manner, we will scale in peace,” the corporate mentioned.
Apart from Sutskever, the corporate lists amongst its cofounders former Apple AI lead, Daniel Gross, and ex-OpenAI technical employees member Daniel Levy.
When Bloomberg’s Ashlee Vance requested in regards to the firm’s monetary backers, Sutskever declined to disclose SSI’s backers and the funding it has obtained.
In its launch announcement, SSI mentioned that it wasn’t distracted by “administration overhead or product cycles” as a result of its “singular focus” on security meant that it was “insulated from short-term industrial pressures.”
“It will likely be totally insulated from the surface pressures of getting to cope with a big and complex product and having to be caught in a aggressive rat race,” Sutskever instructed Bloomberg’s Vance.
Representatives for Protected Superintelligence and OpenAI did not instantly reply to requests for remark from BI despatched exterior common enterprise hours.
SSI comes after months of uncertainty over Sutskever’s future at OpenAI
Talks of Sutskever’s post-OpenAI strikes have been brewing ever since he left the ChatGPT maker final month. In a farewell publish he printed on X on Might 14, Sutskever solely mentioned that he was going to work on a “undertaking that may be very personally significant” to him.
Sutskever performed a important position in OpenAI’s AI breakthroughs, with fellow cofounder Elon Musk even referring to him because the “linchpin” of the corporate’s success.
However Sutskever’s future at OpenAI turned unsure after it got here to mild that he’d initially pushed for Sam Altman’s ouster as CEO in November.
The corporate’s board mentioned in an announcement on November 17, 2023, that Altman’s elimination got here after he “was not constantly candid in his communications with the board” however didn’t give additional particulars.
Sutskever later expressed remorse for his determination and known as for Altman’s reinstatement alongside different OpenAI workers.
Altman was finally introduced again as CEO simply 5 days after he was ousted, however the incident appeared to drive a wedge between him and Sutskever.
Following Altman’s return, Sutskever appeared to have been shut out of OpenAI, BI reported in December, citing individuals accustomed to the state of affairs.
This is not the primary time OpenAI has seen its employees members splintering off to start out their very own AI corporations.
In 2021, former OpenAI workers and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei based their very own AI startup, Anthropic. The corporate, which has traders together with Amazon and Google, has additionally sought to place itself as extra safety-conscious than its trade rivals.
