Legendary Game Developer John Carmack Raises $20M for AGI Startup Keen Technologies
Id Software co-founder John Carmack launches Keen Technologies, an artificial general intelligence startup backed by $20 million from Sequoia and prominent tech executives. Carmack aims to develop AI that functions as a universal remote worker.
Legendary game developer John Carmack officially launches Keen Technologies, a new startup focused on artificial general intelligence. The company raises $20 million in a funding round led by former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Cue founder Daniel Gross. Notable participants include Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke, Sequoia, Capital Factory, and renowned chip architect Jim Keller.
Carmack explains that taking outside money instead of self-funding the venture creates a stronger sense of discipline and accountability. He currently serves as a consultant at Meta but dedicates this new effort entirely to the pursuit of AGI. Unlike narrow AI applications that handle specific tasks like generating art or driving cars, AGI theoretically possesses the ability to perform any intellectual task that a human being can accomplish.
Despite skepticism from some AI experts, Carmack remains firmly optimistic about achieving this monumental technological milestone. He expresses his belief that future AI systems will evolve to act like living creatures and eventually serve as universal remote workers. Rather than anticipating a sudden, explosive leap in machine capabilities, he predicts a smooth, gradual progression from animal-like intelligence to full human-level reasoning.