Who’s behind AMI Labs, Yann LeCun’s ‘world model’ startup

Yann LeCun, a prominent AI scientist formerly at Meta, has launched a new startup called AMI Labs (Advanced Machine Intelligence) focused on developing “world models” — AI systems that understand and interact with the real world. The company aims to create foundational AI models that go beyond large language models (LLMs) by incorporating persistent memory, reasoning, planning, and safety, targeting applications in high-stakes fields such as healthcare, industrial automation, robotics, and wearable devices. AMI Labs plans to license its technology to industry partners while also engaging with the academic community through open publications and open source contributions. LeCun serves as AMI Labs’ executive chairman, while Alex LeBrun, formerly CEO of health AI startup Nabla and a former colleague of LeCun at Meta’s FAIR lab, is the CEO. The startup is reportedly in talks with venture capital firms including Cathay Innovation, Greycroft, and Hiro Capital, with potential valuations and funding rounds drawing comparisons to