Renowned AI scientist Yann LeCun has officially confirmed the launch of his new startup, **Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI Labs)**, a venture focused on developing cutting-edge "world model AI." While LeCun will serve as Executive Chairman, the company has appointed Alex LeBrun, former CEO of medical AI startup Nabla, as its Chief Executive Officer. AMI Labs is already making headlines with reports suggesting it aims for an ambitious €3 billion (approximately $3.5 billion) valuation even before its public launch.

LeCun Confirms New Venture and Leadership

The launch of AMI Labs was one of the tech world's "worst-kept secrets," as LeCun himself acknowledged. He confirmed the news in a brief LinkedIn post, stating, "Yes, AMI Labs is my new startup. I’m the Executive Chairman. And Alex LeBrun is transitioning from CEO of Nabla to CEO of AMI Labs!" This move was also disclosed by Nabla in a press release announcing LeBrun's departure. LeCun, a professor at New York University and former VP and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, is a highly respected figure in the AI community, notably a recipient of the prestigious A.M. Turing Award for his foundational work in reinforcement learning.

Ambitious Valuation in a Hot AI Market

According to reports from the Financial Times, AMI Labs is seeking to raise €500 million (around $586 million) at a staggering €3 billion valuation right out of the gate. This audacious ask, while significant, is not entirely unprecedented in the current climate of venture capital pouring into AI startups founded by world-renowned scientists. For context, former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s startup, Thinking Machines Lab, reportedly secured a $12 billion valuation during its seed round last year, despite Murati not having the same extensive "street cred" as LeCun.

Pioneering "World Model AI"

AMI Labs' core focus is on "world model AI," an alternative approach to the widely used Large Language Models (LLMs). This technology aims for AI to develop a deep understanding of its environment, or "the world," enabling it to simulate cause-and-effect scenarios and predict outcomes. Proponents of world models believe this approach can overcome the inherent "hallucination" problems of LLMs, which are by nature "non-deterministic" and prone to fabricating information. The pursuit of world models is a growing trend, with major players like Google DeepMind and Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs also investing heavily in this area. While World Labs raised $230 million at a $1 billion valuation in August 2024—a substantial sum at the time—AMI Labs' current aspirations highlight the rapid acceleration of AI funding.

Alex LeBrun's Expertise and Nabla's Future

The appointment of Alex LeBrun as CEO brings a wealth of experience to AMI Labs. LeBrun has a distinguished background in multimodal AI, having worked at Nuance Communications (which powered early Apple Siri) and founded and sold multiple natural language processing startups, including one to Facebook. He also led Facebook's AI division before co-founding Nabla in 2018. Nabla, a prominent AI startup in Paris, has seen significant growth, with LeBrun stating that the company "more than tripled our live ARR this year." While LeBrun transitions to AMI Labs, he will remain Nabla's chairman and chief AI scientist. Nabla, which has raised a total of $120 million from investors including LeCun himself, as well as Tony Fadell’s Build Collective, HV Capital, Highland Europe, and Cathay Innovation, will now search for a new CEO and will be temporarily led by co-founder and COO Delphine Groll. Notably, Nabla has also announced a strategic partnership to integrate AMI's models as they are developed. This new venture by Yann LeCun, backed by a seasoned CEO and ambitious funding goals, marks a significant development in the race to build the next generation of artificial intelligence.