Ex-Twitch Chief Creates Mystery AI Startup, Teaming Up with Goldstein

Imagine this: the former CEO of Twitch, Emmett Shear, is quietly diving into the world of AI. His new startup, Stem AI, is still under wraps, but public records show it's been around since June 2023 and has a trademark application from August. Shear's name pops up as the CEO in the documents filed in California. So, what's it all about? Stem AI aims to develop AI that gets along with, and understands, humans. It's not just about human behavior and preferences, but also ethics and morality. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is on board as an investor, according to Pitchbook. One of the co-founders is Adam Goldstein, known for Hipmunk, the travel search site he sold in 2016. After that, he’s been involved in various ventures, including bio research. His resume includes a stint at Tufts University, where he worked on cancer models. But what about the details? Shear isn't spilling much, and neither are the others involved. However, Shear has been pretty vocal on social media about AI safety and regulation. He's against most of the current proposals and has criticized many AI chatbots as manipulative. His views could hint at what Stem AI is working on: solving the "AI alignment" problem. Shear’s concerns about AI’s potential danger are nothing new. In June, he mentioned the idea of an "AI test ban treaty" on a tech podcast. In November, he even stepped in as interim CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI for a brief time after some board members wanted out Sam Altman. Shear reportedly didn’t agree with the decision and threatened to quit if the board didn’t have solid evidence. The situation was resolved two days later, with Altman returning to his role. Shear's short stint at OpenAI saw him earn around $3, 720, according to filings. But his more significant impact might be yet to come with Stem AI.

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