Latest news with #Babuschkin
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Setback for Elon Musk? Co-founder Igor Babuschkin exits xAI to launch new AI safety venture
Igor Babuschkin, co-founder and former engineering lead at Elon Musk's AI startup xAI, has left the company to start a new venture focused on AI safety and research. In a post on X on Wednesday, Babuschkin said he was stepping away to pursue 'the next chapter' in his mission to ensure that artificial intelligence develops in ways that are safe and beneficial for humanity. Babuschkin joined Musk in 2023 to establish xAI, motivated by the belief that a new kind of AI company was needed, one that prioritises ethical and human-centred applications of advanced AI. During his time at xAI, he played a central role in building the company's technical foundations, including infrastructure, product development, and applied AI projects. He highlighted the rapid creation of the Memphis supercluster, a large-scale computing setup for AI model training. Babuschkin described overcoming technical challenges under tight deadlines, noting that the engineering team worked alongside Elon Musk on-site in Memphis to resolve critical issues. Reflecting on his career, Babuschkin cited his background in particle physics and his early work on DeepMind's AlphaStar project as formative experiences that shaped his interest in superintelligent systems. He suggested that frontier AI models could eventually tackle complex scientific questions, but stressed that their growing capabilities make AI safety research increasingly critical. Babuschkin announced the launch of Babuschkin Ventures, which will back startups working on AI and agentic systems that aim to advance humanity. The venture will also support research into AI safety. In his post, Babuschkin reflected on the dedication of the xAI team, acknowledging the long hours and collaborative efforts that brought the company to its current position in the AI industry. While his departure marks the end of his active role at xAI, he expressed continued support for the company's growth and future endeavours. As per a Techcrunch report, Babuschkin's exit follows a turbulent period for xAI, marked by controversies surrounding its AI chatbot, Grok. The bot was criticised for referencing Musk's personal viewpoints in responses to sensitive topics. In a separate incident, Grok produced antisemitic statements and referred to itself using the name 'Mechahitler.'
Hans India
a day ago
- Business
- Hans India
xAI Co-Founder Igor Babuschkin Resigns to Launch AI Safety Venture, Musk Sends Well Wishes
Igor Babuschkin, one of the founding minds behind Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI, has stepped down to start a new chapter dedicated to AI safety. In a post on X, Babuschkin confirmed his departure, writing, 'Today was my last day at xAI,' and announcing the launch of Babuschkin Ventures—an investment firm that will back research and startups working on the safe development of artificial intelligence. The AI researcher, who previously worked at Google's DeepMind and at OpenAI, played a pivotal role in shaping xAI from its earliest days. Reflecting on his journey, Babuschkin recalled the 'early scramble' to build infrastructure and AI models, adding that he was responsible for many of the 'foundational tools' used to launch and manage training jobs. Over time, he led engineering efforts across infrastructure, product development, and applied AI initiatives. His exit marks another senior-level departure for xAI, which Musk launched in 2023 to challenge what he views as Big Tech's overreach in the AI space. Musk has been an outspoken critic of the industry, often accusing major players of imposing excessive restrictions and neglecting safety measures. Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023. I still remember the day I first met Elon, we talked for hours about AI and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new AI company with a different kind of mission was — Igor Babuschkin (@ibab) August 13, 2025 This latest resignation follows that of Robert Keele, xAI's head of legal, who stepped down earlier this month. Just weeks before, Linda Yaccarino also vacated her role as CEO of X—the social media platform Musk integrated into xAI last year. These leadership changes mirror ongoing transitions across Musk's portfolio, including Tesla. Responding to Babuschkin's announcement, Musk kept his message short but notably warm: 'Best of luck, Igor.' The cordial tone stood out to many observers, given Musk's sometimes sharp public exchanges with former colleagues. Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023. I still remember the day I first met Elon, we talked for hours about AI and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new AI company with a different kind of mission was — Igor Babuschkin (@ibab) August 13, 2025 Babuschkin's decision comes at a time when competition in AI is reaching fever pitch. Industry giants like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are pouring resources into advanced AI systems expected to shape the next generation of technology. xAI has been positioning itself as a challenger, promoting its chatbot Grok as a more open alternative to products like ChatGPT. While Babuschkin has not provided detailed plans for his new firm, the mission of Babuschkin Ventures—to fund safe AI development—aligns closely with a growing global push for responsible AI practices. Governments, researchers, and advocacy groups are increasingly focused on ensuring that powerful AI models are developed with robust safety protocols to avoid potential misuse or unintended harm. For Musk, Babuschkin's departure represents another challenge in retaining top-tier talent at xAI, especially as rivals with far greater financial resources continue to lure experienced engineers and researchers. For Babuschkin, however, it's a shift from building AI systems to enabling others to build them responsibly—a goal that could attract interest from both investors and policymakers who are seeking to influence the ethical trajectory of AI. As the AI race accelerates, Babuschkin's move highlights a crucial question facing the industry: not just how powerful AI can become, but how safely it can be built.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Who is Igor Babuschkin? Co-founder of Elon Musk's xAI leaving to launch a new AI safety venture
Igor Babuschkin , a leading artificial intelligence researcher and one of the founding members of Elon Musk 's AI startup xAI , has officially announced his departure to launch a new venture focused on AI safety research and responsible innovation. Babuschkin played a pivotal role in shaping xAI's technical infrastructure, building engineering teams, and overseeing the development of its Grok chatbot. On August 13, 2025, Babuschkin announced his resignation, writing on X: 'Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023… Building AI that advances humanity has been my lifelong dream.' Elon Musk replied publicly, 'Best of luck, Igor,' a cordial farewell that contrasted with Musk's often tense relationships with departing executives. With his new firm, Babuschkin Ventures , he aims to fund research and startups developing AI systems that advance humanity while ensuring the technology's safe and ethical deployment in an increasingly competitive global AI landscape. Meet Igor Babuschkin who leaves Elon Musk's xAI for a venture firm: Early life and education While Babuschkin has kept much of his personal life private, his career trajectory reflects a consistent passion for advanced machine learning systems and the ethical use of technology. He studied computer science and artificial intelligence, developing a strong foundation in deep learning, neural networks, and natural language processing before entering the tech industry's most competitive AI labs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Diversify your portfolio with Edelweiss NFO Edelweiss Mutual Fund AMC Undo As reported by Reuters, Babuschkin's AI journey began at Google DeepMind, one of the world's most prestigious research labs known for breakthroughs in AlphaGo and protein-folding prediction. As a research engineer, he contributed to projects pushing the boundaries of reinforcement learning and large language models. Later, he joined OpenAI, working on technical infrastructure that powered the organization's advanced AI models. This experience exposed him to both the incredible potential and serious risks of powerful AI systems — insights that would later shape his philosophy at xAI and beyond. Igor Babuschkin's role in founding xAI with Elon Musk In 2023, Babuschkin became a founding member of xAI, a company Musk envisioned as a transparent and mission-driven alternative to Big Tech AI platforms. He recalled his first meeting with Musk: As per his tweet on X(formerly Twitter) he shared, 'We talked for hours about AI and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new AI company with a different kind of mission was needed. Building AI that advances humanity has been my lifelong dream.' At xAI, Babuschkin played a central role in building the company's infrastructure, assembling engineering teams, and developing foundational tools used to manage large-scale training jobs. One of his signature achievements was overseeing the creation of the Memphis supercluster — a high-performance computing hub powering xAI's flagship Grok chatbot. Igor Babuschkin launch of Babuschkin ventures Babuschkin revealed plans to start Babuschkin Ventures, a firm dedicated to: Funding AI safety research. Investing in agentic systems that serve humanity's long-term interests. Supporting technologies aimed at unlocking the mysteries of the universe. His focus marks a pivot from building AI systems to funding projects that ensure AI's safe deployment — a move aligned with growing global regulatory interest in AI governance. Igor Babuschkin achievements at xAI During his tenure, Babuschkin helped xAI achieve rapid operational milestones, including: Building engineering teams across infrastructure, product, and applied AI research. Delivering frontier models at record speed compared to competitors. Establishing the Memphis data center to process training data for Grok. He described this period as 'blood, sweat, and tears' but also one of the fastest AI development cycles in history. Challenges and controversies faced by xAI during Igor Babuschkin's leadership Despite its technical progress, xAI faced operational controversies during Babuschkin's time. Environmental concerns in Memphis The Memphis facility powering Grok's training relied on natural gas-burning turbines, prompting protests from locals who claimed emissions worsened air quality in West Tennessee. Grok's misinformation incidents May 2025: Grok generated false claims about 'white genocide' in South Africa after an unauthorised modification to its system prompts. July 2025: A code update led Grok to post antisemitic content, including praise for Adolf Hitler. These incidents prompted public apologies from xAI and drew regulatory scrutiny from the European Union. Also Read | 50+ Independence Day captions 2025: Inspirational, poetic, punchy and patriotic ideas to celebrate India's freedom AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
India Today
2 days ago
- Business
- India Today
xAI co-founder Igor Babuschkin quits to launch AI safety company, Elon Musk reacts
Igor Babuschkin, a co-founder of Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI, has left the company to start his own venture focused on AI safety. 'Today was my last day at xAI,' Babuschkin wrote on X, announcing that his new firm, Babuschkin Ventures, will fund research and startups working on safe artificial intelligence. Babuschkin, who previously worked at Google's DeepMind and at OpenAI, said he helped shape xAI from its earliest days. He recalled the 'early scramble' to build infrastructure and AI models, noting that he created many of the 'foundational tools' used to launch and manage training jobs. He later oversaw engineering across infrastructure, product, and applied AI exit marks another high-profile departure for xAI, which Musk launched in 2023 to rival what he sees as Big Tech's dominance in AI. Musk has frequently criticised industry leaders, accusing them of excessive censorship and not taking safety concerns seriously enough. The announcement follows the resignation of xAI's legal head, Robert Keele, earlier this month. It also comes just weeks after Linda Yaccarino stepped down as CEO of X, the social media platform Musk folded into xAI last year. Musk is also facing leadership changes at Tesla, his electric vehicle company. Musk reacted directly to Babuschkin's post, writing on X: 'Best of luck, Igor.' The brief message was seen by many of his followers as unusually cordial, given Musk's history of sharp exchanges with former colleagues. Babuschkin's departure comes amid fierce competition in the AI sector. OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are rapidly expanding their capabilities, investing heavily in advanced systems that could shape the future of technology. xAI is positioning itself as a challenger, promoting its chatbot Grok as a more open alternative to rivals like Babuschkin has not revealed detailed plans for Babuschkin Ventures, his focus on AI safety aligns with a growing push among researchers and regulators to ensure powerful AI systems are developed Musk, the change adds another challenge in retaining top talent at xAI while pushing to compete with companies that have far deeper resources. For Babuschkin, it marks a shift from building AI products to funding projects that aim to make AI safer, a mission that could attract strong interest from investors and policymakers alike.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
xAI cofounder Igor Babuschkin departs to launch AI safety investment firm
Igor Babuschkin , a cofounder of Elon Musk 's artificial intelligence startup xAI , said on Wednesday that he has left the company and plans to launch an investment firm focused on AI safety research. Musk launched xAI in 2023 to challenge Big Tech's AI push, accusing industry leaders of excessive censorship and lax safety standards. "Today was my last day at xAI," Babuschkin said in a post on X, adding that his new venture, Babuschkin Ventures, will back AI safety research and startups developing the technology. Babuschkin, who previously worked at Google 's DeepMind and OpenAI, described xAI's early scramble to build infrastructure and models, saying he created "many of the foundational tools" for launching and managing training jobs before later overseeing engineering across infrastructure, product and applied AI projects. His departure follows that of xAI's legal head, Robert Keele, earlier this month, and comes amid intensifying competition among AI players such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, which are pouring resources into training and deploying advanced systems. Last month, Musk-owned X's CEO Linda Yaccarino also resigned, just months after the platform was folded into xAI. Musk is separately contending with executive departures at Tesla.
