Jeff Bezos is set to become co-chief executive of Project Prometheus, a new artificial intelligence start-up developing systems for engineering and manufacturing across computers, aerospace and automobiles, according to multiple reports.

The New York Times said the company is launching with $6.2 billion in funding, partly from Bezos, citing three people familiar with the firm. Reuters reported it “could not independently verify the report,” adding that Bezos’ representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This marks Bezos’ first formal operational post since stepping down as Amazon’s chief executive officer in 2021, while he remains closely involved with Blue Origin as founder.

Bezos will co-lead Project Prometheus with Vik Bajaj, a physicist and chemist who previously worked at Google’s X and co-founded Verily, according to the Times and the Telegraph. The Guardian reported the start-up has already hired around 100 employees, including recruits from OpenAI, DeepMind and Meta.

The Telegraph reported that Project Prometheus will apply AI to manufacturing that could support Blue Origin and other heavy industries. It also highlighted recent concerns around AI investment froth, noting that “Mr Bezos… has said that the technology is in a ‘kind of industrial bubble’ but that society will see ‘gigantic benefits’.”

Project Prometheus will be placed within a growing group of ventures aiming to bring AI into the physical world, referencing robotics, drug design and scientific discovery efforts, and noting parallels with Periodic Labs, which plans large-scale automated experimentation.

Reuters framed the competitive landscape as a race involving established players such as OpenAI, Meta and Google, with smaller firms attempting breakthroughs. It reiterated that Bezos’ new role is his first operational position since leaving Amazon, and reported Bajaj’s background at Google’s X, “often called ‘The Moonshot Factory’.”

While the start-up has kept a low profile, the early funding, executive appointments and hiring signal a rapid build-out. Details of its technology and commercial approach have not been formally disclosed, and the timeline of its formation has not been confirmed.

As reported, Project Prometheus will focus on AI tools intended to speed complex engineering and manufacturing tasks, with potential implications for sectors ranging from aerospace to automotive.

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