# Trillium Labs launches open AI research nonprofit with $30M training budget

Digest AI · Research · published 2026-10-02T16:00:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/trillium-labs-launches-open-ai-research-nonprofit-with-30m-training-bu

## Summary

Nathan Lambert and Tom Zick, former researchers at Ai2 and Harvard, founded Trillium Labs, a nonprofit focused on transparent AI research. The lab will publish detailed experiments on topics like recursive self-improvement (RSI) and reinforcement learning, allowing outside scrutiny and replication. Lambert argues closed development by labs like OpenAI and Anthropic limits community oversight, while Zick highlights the disconnect between industry and academic AI work due to resource barriers.

Trillium Labs launched today with undisclosed funding from Schmidt Sciences and Halcyon Futures, aiming to raise $40–$100 million total. It plans to spend $30 million on training over the next 18 months. The initiative follows recent debates over AI risks, including an Anthropic researcher’s warning about RSI’s existential threat. The lab’s open approach contrasts with China’s model-sharing practices and Stanford’s Marin project, reflecting a growing industry divide over transparency versus controlled access.

## Key points

- Trillium Labs publishes experiment details to enable replication and scrutiny of AI research
- Focus areas include recursive self-improvement (RSI) and reinforcement learning for model behavior
- Nonprofit raised undisclosed funds, targeting $40–$100M total with $30M earmarked for training

## Why it matters

Open research could accelerate risk mitigation and collaboration, but industry resistance may limit adoption.

## Sources

1. [These AI Experts Want to Do High-Stakes Research Out in the Open](https://wired.com/story/trillium-labs-wants-to-do-high-risk-ai-research-in-the-open) (Wired AI, 2026-10-02)

Part of the developing story: [The Unraveling of Human Control Over AI](https://digestai.news/thread/controlai-calls-for-ban-on-superintelligence-development-amid-rising-safety) (9 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Trillium Labs launches open AI research nonprofit with $30M training budget", 2 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/trillium-labs-launches-open-ai-research-nonprofit-with-30m-training-bu

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