Igor Babuschkin, co-founder and former engineering lead at Elon Musk's AI startup xAI, has departed the company to launch a new venture focused on AI safety and research. In a recent post on X, he announced his decision to step away to pursue "the next chapter" of his mission to ensure that artificial intelligence develops safely and beneficially for humanity.
Babuschkin joined Musk in 2023 to help establish xAI, driven by the belief that a new type of AI company was necessary—one that prioritizes ethical and human-centered applications of advanced AI. During his tenure, he played a vital role in the company's technical foundation, overseeing infrastructure, product development, and applied AI initiatives. Notably, he contributed to the rapid establishment of the Memphis supercluster, a large-scale computing setup for AI model training, where he and the engineering team worked closely with Musk to address critical technical challenges.
Reflecting on his career, Babuschkin drew on his background in particle physics and his early involvement with DeepMind's AlphaStar project as key influences on his interest in superintelligent systems. He emphasized the need for AI safety research as frontier AI models develop the potential to tackle complex scientific questions.
Babuschkin also introduced Babuschkin Ventures, which will invest in startups focused on AI and agentic systems that aim to benefit humanity, alongside supporting research into AI safety. In his farewell post, he acknowledged the dedication of the xAI team and their collaborative efforts that have propelled the company within the AI industry. His departure comes amid recent controversies surrounding xAI's chatbot, Grok, which faced criticism for its responses to sensitive topics and incidents involving antisemitic statements. Despite leaving xAI, Babuschkin expressed ongoing support for the company's future.
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