OpenAI’s Sutskever Launches ‘Safe Superintelligence’ Startup

OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who left the company in May, announced his new company on Wednesday called Safe Superintelligence, or SSI

Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder of OpenAI, presented his new AI company, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), which he established after departing the artificial intelligence startup last month.

On Wednesday, Sutskever announced on X that he was establishing a new company. “We will directly pursue safe superintelligence with a single focus, goal, and product.”

Jan Leike departed in May to join rival AI firm Anthropic and was the co-leader of OpenAI’s Superalignment team alongside Sutskever, who served as the company’s principal scientist.

The Superalignment team at OpenAI was responsible for steering and controlling AI systems. However, it was disbanded shortly after Sutskever and Leike announced their departures.

At his new venture, Sutskever will persist in prioritizing safety.

An account for SSI posted on X, “SSI is our sole focus, our name, and our entire product roadmap.”

“Our business model ensures that safety, security, and progress are insulated from short-term commercial pressures, and our singular focus means that there is no distraction from management overhead or product cycles.”

Sutskever is establishing the company in collaboration with Daniel Gross, who previously served as the director of Apple’s AI and search initiatives, and Daniel Levy, who OpenAI previously employed. The organization maintains offices in Tel Aviv and Palo Alto, California.

In November, Sutskever was one of the OpenAI board members who attempted to remove Sam Altman. Altman and Sutskever, along with other directors, disputed the barriers that OpenAI had implemented to advance AI.

Sutskever issued a public apology for his involvement in the ordeal soon after Altman’s abrupt dismissal and before his prompt reinstatement.

Sutskever expressed his profound remorse for his involvement in the board’s actions in a post on X on November 20. “I had no intention of causing harm to OpenAI.” I sincerely appreciate our collaborative efforts and will exert myself to ensure the company’s reunion.