Exclusive: OpenAI Co-Founder Sutskever’s Safety-Focused AI Startup SSI Secures $1 Billion

Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a new AI venture co-founded by OpenAI's former chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, has successfully raised $1 billion to advance artificial intelligence systems that exceed human capabilities, while ensuring their safety. This startup, which launched in June 2024, currently employs a small team of 10 people and is headquartered in both Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

SSI is uniquely positioned in the AI landscape, emphasizing the development of safe AI systems that aim to far surpass human intelligence. The company has been quiet about its valuation, but insiders suggest it is valued at around $5 billion, signaling strong confidence from the venture capital community. Major investors in this funding round include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, and SV Angel, among others.

According to SSI's CEO, Daniel Gross, the company's mission is to create a "straight shot to safe superintelligence," which requires several years of research and development before commercializing any product. Gross emphasized that their backers fully understand the long-term nature of SSI’s vision. AI safety remains a growing concern, with debates about how to prevent AI from causing harm, acting against human interests, or even leading to existential risks. These concerns are gaining momentum, especially with proposed regulatory frameworks. For instance, a California bill focused on AI safety has divided the tech industry, with companies like OpenAI and Google opposing the measure, while firms like Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI support it.

SSI's founders are vocal about their commitment to AI safety. The company was co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, Daniel Gross (formerly of Apple), and Daniel Levy (a former OpenAI researcher). Sutskever and Levy are leading SSI’s scientific initiatives, while Gross manages the operational aspects, including computing infrastructure and fundraising.

 Sutkever’s move into SSI comes after a significant change at OpenAI. Last year, he played a key role in voting to oust OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but later reversed his decision after nearly all OpenAI employees called for Altman’s return. Sutskever eventually left OpenAI in May 2024, after his "Superalignment" team, which worked to ensure AI models aligned with human values, was dismantled.

Unlike OpenAI, which has an unconventional corporate structure designed to promote AI safety, SSI follows a more traditional for-profit business model. However, the company is prioritizing the creation of a tight-knit, highly trusted team. Gross explained that the hiring process is rigorous, with an emphasis on finding candidates who have not only exceptional technical abilities but also strong character. The company values individuals who are passionate about the work itself, rather than those drawn by hype or trends.

SSI’s team plans to partner with cloud providers and chip companies to support its computational needs but has not yet finalized these partnerships. Startups in the AI space often collaborate with major tech firms like Microsoft and Nvidia to fulfill their computing power requirements. Sutskever, one of the early advocates for scaling AI models through vast computational power, remains a strong proponent of the scaling hypothesis—the idea that AI models improve as they scale. However, he hinted that SSI will take a different approach compared to his previous work at OpenAI. While many in the AI community focus on scaling speed, Sutskever emphasized the importance of innovation, hinting that SSI’s approach will involve charting new paths rather than accelerating existing ones.

As AI development continues to evolve, SSI’s unique approach to safe superintelligence and its strong backing suggest it could play a critical role in shaping the next generation of AI systems. The company’s focus on responsible development and innovation sets it apart in a field that is both highly competitive and fraught with ethical challenges. Whether SSI can live up to its ambitious goals remains to be seen, but the early signals suggest that the company has the talent, vision, and resources to make a significant impact.