The new venture aims to build AI-powered engineering tools for robotics, drug design, and manufacturing under the banner of an 'artificial general engineer.'

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is publicly detailing plans for his new artificial intelligence startup, Prometheus, after the company closed a $12 billion funding round that values it at $41 billion. [1]

Bezos describes the company’s ambition as building an “artificial general engineer” — AI systems designed to assist in the design and development of physical products rather than purely digital or software outputs. [1]

Prometheus was first reported by The New York Times last November, but Bezos is now sharing additional details following the funding announcement. [1] The startup currently employs around 150 people. [1]

Bezos serves as co-chief executive officer alongside Vik Bajaj, who previously co-founded Verily, Alphabet’s health-focused research group. [1]

The company’s tools are intended to span multiple industries. According to the NYT, target application areas include robotics, drug design, and manufacturing. [1] Bezos pointed to his own rocket company as a potential customer, telling the NYT: “Blue Origin is a perfect example of a company that could benefit from the tools that Prometheus is building.” [1]

He added that “any company that is building sophisticated devices — like rocket engines — would benefit greatly from this kind of technology.” [1]