Google DeepMind Veteran Raises $1.1 Billion to Build AI That Isn’t Trained With Human Data

DeepMind veteran David Silver raised $1.1 billion to launch Ineffable Intelligence at a $5.1 billion valuation, betting on reinforcement learning and self-play rather than current large language models. The startup — launched in January — aims to build AI “superlearners” that learn via simulations and autonomous experimentation. The fundraise underscores growing investor appetite for alternative AI approaches and could heighten competitive pressure on major AI players. The article also notes broader sector strains — a report that OpenAI missed internal user and revenue targets — tempering near-term enthusiasm. Market impact: positive catalytic news for AI-focused equities, but tempered by signs of rising compute costs and execution risk across the industry.