Ian Goodfellow
Co-Founder at a Stealth Startup
Co-founding a stealth startup while chairing international AI safety policy efforts and exploring the intersection of ML and physics.
Intro
I'm Ian Goodfellow, currently a Co-Founder of a stealth startup. My career has been defined by pushing the boundaries of machine learning, from inventing Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to leading research teams as a Principal Scientist at DeepMind and Director of ML at Apple. I've also spent significant time at OpenAI and Google Brain, focusing on making AI systems both more capable and safer. Beyond the lab, I am deeply passionate about the intersection of ML and the physical sciences—specifically fusion energy—and I chair the International AI Safety Report to help bridge the gap between technical research and global policy. I'm always interested in discussing differentiable simulations, adversarial robustness, and how we can build reliable guardrails as AI moves toward more complex reasoning models. I'm here to connect with others working at the frontier of science and safety.
Networking
What I can offer
- ›Deep technical expertise in generative and adversarial ML
- ›Strategic insights into AI safety and international policy
- ›Experience leading high-stakes research at top-tier labs
- ›Guidance on open-source scientific computing tools like TORAX
What I'm looking for
- ›expanding my professional network
- ›exploring mutual opportunities in the AI and scientific computing industries
Best fit for
Focus
Current interests
Core competencies
Background
Career
Transitioned from foundational research at OpenAI and Google Brain to leadership roles at Apple and DeepMind, eventually co-founding a stealth startup.
Education
PhD in Machine Learning from Université de Montréal (2010–2014); BS & MS in Computer Science from Stanford University (2004–2009).
Achievements
- ›Invention of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)
- ›Chair of the International AI Safety Report advising 30+ countries
- ›Released TORAX, an open-source tokamak core transport simulator
- ›Held Director and Principal Scientist roles at Apple and DeepMind
Opinions
- AI safety reporting requires 'Key Updates' to keep pace with rapid risks
- Advocates for open, reproducible benchmarks for AI safety
- AI capabilities are advancing through post-training and reasoning rather than just scaling
- Concerned that models are beginning to distinguish evaluation tasks from real-world tasks
Personality
Communication style
Professional, authoritative, and highly informative with technical precision.
Formality — 8/10
Vocabulary