Meta’s outgoing chief AI scientist Yann LeCun is in early talks to raise about €500 million ($586 million) for a new artificial intelligence startup, a move that could value the company at roughly €3 billion before its official launch.
LeCun has recruited Alexandre LeBrun, founder of French health-tech startup Nabla, to serve as chief executive of the venture, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
LeCun, one of the world’s most influential AI researchers, announced last month that he would leave Meta at the end of the year to focus on building a new generation of “superintelligent” AI systems. He played a central role in shaping Meta’s AI strategy during his tenure.
The startup reportedly plans to develop so-called “world models” — AI systems designed to understand the physical world — with potential applications in areas such as robotics and transportation.
The high valuation sought before launch may intensify concerns about an AI investment bubble, as some industry leaders have warned that market enthusiasm could be outpacing commercial fundamentals.
LeCun, alongside Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, won the 2018 Turing Award for pioneering work in deep learning.
News.Az
