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Humans& Raises $480M, Betting Big on Long-Horizon AI

Artificial Intelligence AI Startup Seed Round Neural Networks Machine Learning Long-Horizon Processing Reinforcement Learning
January 20, 2026
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Article Summary

Humans& Inc., a newly launched artificial intelligence startup, has announced a significant $480 million seed round, attracting investment from prominent tech giants including Nvidia and GV by Alphabet. This substantial funding at a $4.48 billion valuation signals a high degree of confidence in the company’s core mission: to create AI models optimized for long-horizon tasks—complex activities requiring hours or more of processing time, currently a major focus for machine learning researchers like Google. Humans&’ team, comprised of former OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta employees, plans to equip its software with metacontrollers that generate optimized workflows for these extended tasks. The company also intends to leverage multi-agent collaboration, where AI models work together on multistep tasks, and employs reinforcement learning, a common training technique that rewards desired outcomes. The massive investment underscores the perceived potential of this long-horizon approach, driven by the significant computational resources needed – a factor likely influencing the round's size. The company intends to launch its first product early this year.

Key Points

  • Humans& secured $480M in seed funding at a $4.48B valuation.
  • The investment highlights the growing focus on long-horizon AI tasks, a traditionally challenging area for current AI models.
  • The company’s team includes former leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, bringing valuable expertise in AI development.

Why It Matters

This funding round is a critical development in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. The emphasis on 'long-horizon' AI—tasks requiring substantial processing time—represents a strategic shift away from the current trend of narrowly focused, reactive AI. This signals a move towards more sophisticated AI systems with the potential to tackle complex real-world problems, such as strategic planning, scientific discovery, and complex data analysis. For professionals in technology, business, and research, this indicates a growing area of investment and development, demanding expertise in advanced AI architectures and training methodologies. It solidifies the ongoing competition for dominance in the next generation of artificial intelligence.

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