Yann LeCun’s new venture, AMI Labs, has drawn intense attention since the AI scientist left Meta to found it. This week, the startup finally confirmed what it’s building — and several key details have been hiding in plain sight.
On its newly launched website, the startup disclosed its plans to develop “world models” in order to “build intelligent systems that understand the real world.” The focus on world models was already hinted at by AMI’s name, which stands for Advanced Machine Intelligence, but it has now officially joined the ranks of the hottest AI research startups.
Building foundational models that bridge AI and the real world has become one of the field’s most exciting pursuits, attracting top scientists and deep-pocketed investors alike — product or no product.
World Labs, a direct rival founded by AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, became a unicorn shortly after coming out of stealth. After launching its first product, Marble, which generates physically sound 3D worlds, World Labs is now reportedly in talks to raise fresh funding at a valuation of $5 billion.
There’s little doubt that VCs would be equally eager to invest in LeCun, adding credibility to rumors that AMI Labs might be raising funding at a $3.5 billion valuation. According to Bloomberg, VCs in talks with the startup include Cathay Innovation, Greycroft, and Hiro Capital, to which LeCun is an advisor. Other potential investors reportedly include 20VC, Bpifrance, Daphni, and HV Capital.
Regardless of who writes the checks, investors may want to note an important detail: As LeCun has made clear, he is AMI’s executive chairman, not its CEO. Instead, that role belongs to Alex LeBrun, previously co-founder and CEO at Nabla, a health AI startup with offices in Paris and New York.
LeBrun’s transition from Nabla to AMI is part of a partnership announced last December by Nabla, which develops AI assistants for clinical care and to which LeCun has been an advisor. In exchange for “privileged access” to AMI’s world models, Nabla’s board supported LeBrun’s shift from CEO to chief AI scientist and chairman, clearing the way for his new role.
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As AMI Labs’ CEO, LeBrun will be surrounded by familiar faces. After Facebook acquired his previous startup, Wit.ai, the serial entrepreneur and AI engineer worked under LeCun’s leadership at Meta’s AI research laboratory, FAIR. According to reports, the duo will also be joined by Laurent Solly, who stepped down as Meta’s vice president for Europe last December.
The talent overlap between AMI and Meta likely won’t stop there. LeCun told the MIT Technology Review that his former employer could well be AMI’s first client. But he has also been publicly critical of some of Meta’s strategic choices made under Mark Zuckerberg’s direction. More broadly, the Review interprets AMI Labs as a contrarian bet against large language models (LLMs).
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