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Jad Tarifi, PhD

EIR Builder Series · Session 02

Jad
Tarifi

CEO & Co-founder
Superintelligence Foundry

Jad Tarifi

Biography

Building scalable, energy-efficient AGI inspired by the cerebral cortex — and a path from research lab to industrial revolution.

Jad Tarifi, an expert in Artificial General Intelligence, is currently the CEO and co-founder of Integral AI, where he is driving the development of scalable, energy-efficient AGI and leading an industrial revolution that brings humanity closer to superintelligence. He is currently launching Superintelligence Foundry, the next chapter in his entrepreneurial journey.

With over twenty years of experience, he has dedicated much of his career to pioneering approaches to AGI. Prior to founding Integral AI, he worked at Google AI for approximately ten years. There, he established and led the world’s first generative AI team and spearheaded research on AI inspired by the cerebral cortex.

During his doctoral studies, he authored a dissertation on mathematically rigorous theories of intelligence inspired by the brain and earned a Ph.D. in AI. He also holds a master’s degree in quantum computing.

Interview topics

Each Builder Series Salon follows a six-part conversational frame — from origin story to ecosystem-shaping vision.

01
Introduction & Current Activities
  • What problem or motivation led you to start the company?
  • Could you tell us about your background — research, industry, and entrepreneurship?
02
The Startup Journey & Early Challenges
  • What differences between academia and startups did you notice early on?
  • What was the most difficult challenge during the early stage?
  • How did you build your initial team?
03
Entrepreneurship, NeuroTech & Ecosystem in Japan
  • Why did you decide to start your company in Japan?
  • Are you envisioning global expansion from Japan?
  • What opportunities and challenges do you see for entrepreneurship and ecosystem development in Japan?
04
NeuroTech, AI & Brain-Inspired Innovation
  • How do you see the current potential of the NeuroTech field?
  • What are your thoughts on the relationship between neuroscience and AI / brain-inspired AI?
  • Which technologies or research areas do you think will become important in the next 5–10 years?
05
Advice for Researchers & Students
  • What advice would you give to young researchers or students considering startups?
  • What have you learned about communicating research to broader audiences?
  • Are there any lessons you learned from failures or pivots?
06
Future Vision / EIR / IRCN
  • What role do you think institutes like IRCN can play in innovation ecosystems?
  • What are your expectations for EIR-style programs?
  • What is needed to foster a stronger NeuroTech ecosystem?