David Silver, a former Google DeepMind researcher who led the development of AlphaGo, has pledged to donate all proceeds from any future sale of his AI startup, Ineffable Intelligence, to charity. He is among a growing number of AI entrepreneurs, including Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman and Lovable founder Anton Osika, committing their equity gains to philanthropy, a trend that could reshape tech giving as firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic move towards possible public listings.

Silver founded Ineffable Intelligence in January after raising $1.1 billion at a $5.1 billion valuation, reportedly Europe's largest ever seed round, and formalised his pledge through the nonprofit Founders Pledge, which requires a binding contract rather than a public but non-binding promise. Founders Pledge donations have surged from $400 million in 2023 to $4 billion so far this year, with AI now accounting for a third of its lifetime total. Critics, including sociologist Linsey McGoey, question whether such philanthropy can genuinely address inequalities partly created by the same industry, likening it to "calling upon the arsonist to hose down the house he's just set on fire."