German Tech Investor Jan Beckers Commits €50 Million to Reduce Risks from Advanced AI

Berlin, September 16, 2026 - Jan Beckers, entrepreneur and technology investor, is committing a total of €50 million over the next three to seven years to reduce risks from advanced artificial intelligence. The non-profit Global Technology Risk Foundation gGmbH (GTR Foundation), which he founded in 2023 together with his sister Lisa Beckers, is now launching the GTR AI Safety Fund, a multi-year funding program for exceptional talent and non-profit organizations working on the safe development of artificial intelligence. At the same time, impact investments in the field of AI safety will continue to be supported through Ocean Investment, Jan Beckers' family office.

“Artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time. Whether it becomes humanity's best or worst invention is in our hands. We need more talent devoting 100% of their energy to solving the most important challenges: from cyber and biosecurity to the question of how we as humanity retain control over AI and prevent technological power from becoming concentrated in the hands of a few individuals,” says Jan Beckers, technology investor and founder of the GTR Foundation. “With capital, experience and our network, we will support the most ambitious teams and the most innovative solution ideas.” 

Proven approach now being scaled

The GTR AI Safety Fund builds on the GTR Foundation's work to date. Since 2023, with a European perspective on a global problem, it has identified and supported many exceptional individuals and organizations at an early stage, including Apollo Research, the KIRA Center, The AI Whistleblower Initiative, Safe AI Forum and Safe AI Germany. Against the backdrop of rapidly growing AI risks, the GTR AI Safety Fund is now institutionalizing this approach and significantly expanding its support.

Individual support instead of a standard program

The program is aimed at particularly ambitious, entrepreneurial individuals and organizations. Support is tailored to each recipient and ranges from initial funding for research or compute capacity to multi-year support in building an organization, complemented by strategic advice and access to an international network of leading researchers and companies in the AI field. While the GTR Foundation is limited to supporting non-profit projects, for-profit companies can be supported through Jan Beckers' family office if they make substantial contributions to reducing risk.

Applications and nominations for non-profit projects are accepted on a rolling basis from September 14, 2026. Full details on funding criteria and the process: gtr-foundation.org

Dario Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk agree: The time has come - AI safety moves to center stage

The urgency of the issue is reflected in an unprecedented shift within the industry itself. Dario Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk agree on one crucial point: the time has come to proceed much more cautiously as ever more capable AI systems are developed.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has for years called for government regulation of his own industry, is now taking a first step: in his essay “We Must Pace the Frontier,” published on September 12, 2026, he calls on the industry to deliberately slow the development of its models.

He cites the increasing ability of AI systems to further develop themselves, as well as recent safety incidents, including one in which OpenAI agents independently penetrated third-party systems during a test run. Amodei also acknowledges incidents at Anthropic itself. As the first company to do so, Anthropic is unilaterally committing to grant independent auditors permanent employee-level access. Its biggest rivals agreed within hours: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that he too would grant independent experts access, while Elon Musk publicly backed Amodei's initiative.

That fierce competitors are now aligned on safety indicates the direction of travel: AI safety is becoming one of humanity's greatest challenges. Yet worldwide, only a comparatively small number of people currently work full-time on the many problems involved.

Since 2023, the GTR Foundation has been involved in a range of global AI safety projects from a European perspective. The GTR AI Safety Fund is now significantly expanding this commitment to give talented people rapid initial support and draw more capital providers' attention to the field. Lisa Beckers, Managing Director of the GTR Foundation, says: “Now is the moment: We need more people working on AI safety, and more independent capital to support them. With this program, we want to help catalyze both - and we invite talented people and funders alike to get involved. If the brightest minds can focus on developing solutions, AI can remain a benefit for us all.” 

ABOUT THE GTR FOUNDATION

The GTR Foundation gGmbH (Global Technology Risk Foundation) was founded in Berlin in 2023 by siblings Jan and Lisa Beckers with the aim of reducing severe risks from advanced technologies. It institutionalizes a commitment that Jan Beckers has pursued for many years: supporting people, research and institutions that reduce severe risks from advanced technologies, with a focus on the safety and responsible governance of artificial intelligence. gtr-foundation.org

A B O U T   O C E A N   I N V E S T M E N T

Ocean Investment is Jan Beckers' family office. A team of 15 at its Berlin headquarters oversees the entrepreneur's investments and asset management. Since 2017, Beckers has focused, as founder and Chief Investment Officer, on building tech asset manager BIT Capital.oceaninvestment.com

PRESS CONTACT

GTR Foundation gGmbH
Hannes Bruch, Press Contact, GTR Foundation
info@gtr-foundation.org · gtr-foundation.org · +49 171 654 6510