OpenAI’s former science chief/co-founder is launching his own artificial intelligence (AI) company.
Ilya Sutskever, who stepped down from the ChatGPT-maker last month, announced the launch of Safe Superintelligence (SSI) in a post on X Wednesday (June 19).
I am starting a new company: https://t.co/BG3K3SI3A1
— Ilya Sutskever (@ilyasut) June 19, 2024
“We approach safety and capabilities in tandem, as technical problems to be solved through revolutionary engineering and scientific breakthroughs,” the company said in its own social media post.
Superintelligence is within reach.
Building safe superintelligence (SSI) is the most important technical problem of our time.
We’ve started the world’s first straight-shot SSI lab, with one goal and one product: a safe superintelligence.
It’s called Safe Superintelligence…
— SSI Inc. (@ssi) June 19, 2024
“We plan to advance capabilities as fast as possible while making sure our safety always remains ahead. This way, we can scale in peace,” the company wrote. “Our singular focus means no distraction by management overhead or product cycles, and our business model means safety, security, and progress are all insulated from short-term commercial pressures.”
SSI has offices in both Tel Aviv, Israel, and Palo Alto, California. Sutskever’s co-founders are Daniel Levy, former OpenAI researcher, and Daniel Gross, former AI lead at Apple.
Sutskever left OpenAI in May after playing a role in CEO Sam Altman’s ouster last fall. When Altman retook the helm days later, Sutskever was removed from the board.
However, the two were — at least publicly — on good terms when Sutskever announced his departure from the company.
“The company’s trajectory has been nothing short of miraculous, and I’m confident that OpenAI will build AGI [artificial general intelligence] that is both safe and beneficial under the leadership” of Altman, President Greg Brockman and Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, he wrote.
Sutskever had been part of the company’s superalignment team, which was focused on AI safety.
Another member of the team, Jan Leike, resigned soon after, saying the company had lost its focus on safety, and later took a job with rival AI company Anthropic.
Sutskever’s new company’s launch comes on the heels of a pledge last month by AI companies to implement a “kill switch” policy, potentially halting the development of their most advanced AI models if certain risk thresholds are crossed.
As PYMNTS wrote at the time, some experts are questioning the practicality, effectiveness and consequences of such a policy on innovation, competition and the world economy.
“The term ‘kill switch’ is odd here because it sounds like the organizations agreed to stop research and development on certain models if they cross lines associated with risks to humanity. This isn’t a kill switch, and it’s just a soft pact to abide by some ethical standards in model development,” Camden Swita, head of AI and machine learning innovation at AI firm New Relic,, told PYMNTS.
“Tech companies have made these kinds of agreements before (related to AI and other things like social media), so this feels like nothing new,” Swita added.
We get a lot of press releases here at PYMNTS. We consider all of them, and some are more newsworthy than others. But this one really got our attention. This past week, Diebold Nixdorf made headlines with its announcement of successfully installing two new automated teller machines (ATMs) at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This achievement marks a significant milestone in banking accessibility, to be sure. We would like to meet the crew that installed them. We’d also like to know why they needed two. Was there a line at the first one? More to come on that.
According to Diebold, McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest research and logistics hub, supporting a fluctuating population that ranges from fewer than 200 residents during the winter months to up to 1,100 individuals during the summer (October through February). The presence of these ATMs is crucial, it says, as the next closest banking facilities are thousands of miles away, making them the only ATMs on the entire continent. How’s that for a value proposition?
The DN Series ATMs are designed for always-on availability. And why do they need two? One ATM is actively in use, while the second serves as a backup for spare parts, ensuring uninterrupted service in this isolated area. These machines are connected to the DN AllConnect Data Engine, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their performance. A dedicated team continuously aggregates and analyzes technical data to identify potential issues, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs. The ATM can be maintained by trained staff at NSF McMurdo Station, or the Diebold Nixdorf service team can remotely guide them through the repair process.
Anyway, it got us thinking. Are there other surprising ATMs in extreme locations? Well, of course, there are. Here’s a sampling of what we found.
At an altitude of about 5,364 meters (17,600 feet), the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal is another unexpected place to find an ATM. Although it’s not a permanent fixture and is often set up seasonally, it caters to climbers and trekkers who need cash for local transactions. This temporary ATM service underscores the adaptability of banking services in extreme environments.
In some parts of the Amazon rainforest, particularly in Brazil and Peru, ATMs can be found in small villages and towns. These machines are vital for local communities, providing access to cash in areas where digital payment options might be limited. The presence of ATMs here demonstrates how banking services can reach even the most remote communities.
Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nagqu is home to one of the highest ATMs in the world. This region is very remote, with limited infrastructure, making the presence of an ATM a notable example of banking accessibility in extreme environments.
In the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia, there’s a floating ATM. This unique ATM serves the local community and tourists on the islands, demonstrating how banking services can adapt to isolated marine environments.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, boasts the most northerly ATM. This location is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, with limited access to mainland Norway, making the ATM a vital service for residents and visitors.
On a more serious note, the installation of ATMs in places like Antarctica and other remote locations highlights the evolving nature of banking technology. With advancements in IoT, AI and remote diagnostics, it’s becoming increasingly feasible to provide banking services in areas previously considered inaccessible. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see where else ATMs might appear. Whether it’s on a remote island, at the top of a mountain or even in space, the ability to access cash is becoming more universal than ever. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see an ATM on Mars, serving the first interplanetary travelers.
For now, the presence of ATMs in unexpected places reminds us that banking is not just about transactions; it’s about connecting people and communities across the globe, no matter how remote they might be.
