Bezos Launches $6.2B AI Startup, Aims to Revolutionize Science and Engineering

In a surprising move, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the world's wealthiest individuals, has co-founded a new artificial intelligence (AI) startup called Project Prometheus. The company has secured an impressive $6.2 billion in funding, making it one of the most well-financed early-stage startups in the world.

Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon's CEO in July 2021, has now taken on a formal operational role as the co-chief executive of Project Prometheus. This marks the first time he has held such a position in a company since leaving Amazon. While he has remained deeply involved with his space company, Blue Origin, his official title there is that of founder.

Project Prometheus is entering a crowded AI market, with the startup aiming to develop technologies that can accelerate progress in engineering, manufacturing, and scientific discovery. The company is focusing on AI systems that can learn from the physical world, rather than just analyzing digital text like many existing language models.

Bezos' co-founder and co-CEO is Vik Bajaj, a physicist and chemist who previously worked closely with Google's co-founder Sergey Brin at the tech giant's "Moonshot Factory," known as Google X. Bajaj has also co-founded other AI and data science startups, including Foresite Labs.

With its substantial funding and Bezos' involvement, Project Prometheus is poised to make a significant impact in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. The startup's focus on applying AI to real-world challenges in fields like aerospace, automobiles, and computer engineering could lead to groundbreaking advancements in the near future.