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.

Role at xAI and key contributions

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…