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Anadolu Agency: Epstein aided AI pioneer in securing Hong Kong funding
webRelevant to AI governance discussions about research funding integrity and the risks of accepting money from ethically compromised sources; peripherally touches on the AGI research funding landscape of the 2010s.
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Importance: 22/100news articlenews
Summary
Reports based on DOJ-released emails reveal that Jeffrey Epstein funneled at least $113,000 through the nonprofit Humanity+ to AI researcher Ben Goertzel's company Novamente, enabling Goertzel to qualify as an industry sponsor for Hong Kong government grants totaling ~$1.14 million. The arrangement, spanning 2001 to at least 2018, highlights how difficult funding conditions for AGI research led researchers to accept ethically compromised sources of support.
Key Points
- •Epstein pledged at least $113,000 over five years to Goertzel's open-source AI initiative, channeled through nonprofit Humanity+ to company Novamente.
- •The funding allowed Novamente to serve as a required 10% industry co-sponsor for Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund grants, unlocking ~HK$8.9M (~$1.14M) in public funds.
- •The Epstein-Goertzel relationship began in 2001 and continued until at least 2018, roughly a year before Epstein's arrest on federal sex trafficking charges.
- •Goertzel expressed regret over the association, citing the near-impossibility of securing AGI research funding as justification for accepting Epstein's money.
- •The case illustrates broader concerns about ethically compromised funding sources infiltrating AI and scientific research communities.
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| Page | Type | Quality |
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| Jeffrey Epstein's Connections to AI Researchers | -- | 57.0 |
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Epstein aided AI pioneer in securing Hong Kong funding: Report
Americas
Epstein aided AI pioneer in securing Hong Kong funding: Report
American computer scientist Ben Goertzel received at least $113,000 over five years for his open-source artificial intelligence initiative
Berk Kutay Gokmen |
16.02.2026 - Update : 16.02.2026
ISTANBUL
Jeffrey Epstein financially supported artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Ben Goertzel and helped him secure at least HK$8.9 million (about $1.14 million) in grants from the Hong Kong government, according to a report by the South China Morning Post on Monday.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice indicate that Epstein pledged at least $113,000 over five years to support Goertzel’s open-source AI initiative. This backing enabled Goertzel to meet eligibility requirements for public research funding in Hong Kong.
Ben Goertzel, an American computer scientist, is known for his work promoting artificial general intelligence. He worked in Hong Kong during the 2010s as chief scientist at Hanson Robotics, the company behind the humanoid robot Sophia.
He was also involved in AI research projects at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and later returned to the US while maintaining his permanent resident status in Hong Kong.
The South China Morning Post reported that Goertzel’s association with Epstein began in 2001, when Epstein funded a research fellowship.
Between 2010 and 2015, Epstein channeled at least $113,000 through the US non-profit Humanity+, which was then transferred to Novamente, a company owned by Goertzel. This allowed Novamente to act as the required “industry sponsor” for projects applying to Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Fund.
Under the fund’s rules, companies must secure 10% of total project costs from industry sponsors to qualify for government support, with the remainder covered by public funds.
According to the South China Morning Post, three PolyU projects backed by Novamente received HK$8.9 million between 2010 and 2016.
Emails show that Goertzel repeatedly sought Epstein’s financial help to meet sponsorship requirements. In a message from 2011, Goertzel wrote: “Let me know if you’re game to donate the additional $10K. If not, I will explore other options … I really can’t afford $10K personally right now.”
In 2015, amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s offences, Goertzel requested an additional $25,000. An assistant replied that “due to the current environment,” funding would be su
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