Meta's top AI scientist Yann LeCun is making the jump from the company he helped build its artificial intelligence capabilities at to start his own venture focused on developing physical AI systems.
The move comes as Meta doubles down on advanced AI research, including superintelligence, following a major restructuring. LeCun was once instrumental in launching the company's Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab, but his work is now taking a backseat as he focuses on "world models", which are designed to understand the physical world rather than just generating language.
The French-American computer scientist has long been critical of large language models, or LLMs, describing them as a "dead end" for reaching human-like AI. Instead, LeCun believes that systems capable of perceiving their environment and grasping physical concepts like gravity are key to developing true intelligence.
He is not alone in this pursuit. Other researchers and companies, such as Stanford's Fei-Fei Li and Google DeepMind, are exploring world models, which aim to give AI "spatial intelligence". Nvidia is also pushing into physical AI with its Cosmos products.
LeCun's departure from Meta marks another significant shake-up for the company, following the loss of his former boss Joelle Pineau in April. While LeCun did not comment on his reasons for leaving, it's clear that he believes world models hold the key to developing true intelligence and surpassing human capabilities.
The move comes as Meta doubles down on advanced AI research, including superintelligence, following a major restructuring. LeCun was once instrumental in launching the company's Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab, but his work is now taking a backseat as he focuses on "world models", which are designed to understand the physical world rather than just generating language.
The French-American computer scientist has long been critical of large language models, or LLMs, describing them as a "dead end" for reaching human-like AI. Instead, LeCun believes that systems capable of perceiving their environment and grasping physical concepts like gravity are key to developing true intelligence.
He is not alone in this pursuit. Other researchers and companies, such as Stanford's Fei-Fei Li and Google DeepMind, are exploring world models, which aim to give AI "spatial intelligence". Nvidia is also pushing into physical AI with its Cosmos products.
LeCun's departure from Meta marks another significant shake-up for the company, following the loss of his former boss Joelle Pineau in April. While LeCun did not comment on his reasons for leaving, it's clear that he believes world models hold the key to developing true intelligence and surpassing human capabilities.