Yann LeCun's AMI Labs Startup Aims to Build a World Model

Since renowned AI scientist Yann LeCun left Meta to launch AMI Labs, his new venture has generated significant buzz. This week, the startup finally revealed its focus—and several important details were already visible to those paying close attention.

On its newly launched website, the company outlined its mission to develop "world models" aimed at creating intelligent systems that comprehend the real world. While the emphasis on world models was suggested by the name AMI—which stands for Advanced Machine Intelligence—the startup has now officially positioned itself among the most talked-about AI research initiatives.

Creating foundational models that connect AI with the physical world has emerged as one of the most compelling goals in the field, drawing both leading scientists and well-funded investors—regardless of whether a tangible product exists yet.

World Labs, a direct competitor founded by AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, quickly achieved unicorn status after coming out of stealth mode. Following the launch of its first product, Marble—which generates physically accurate 3D environments—World Labs is now reportedly negotiating a new funding round that could value the company at $5 billion.

There's little question that venture capitalists would be just as enthusiastic about investing in LeCun’s venture, lending weight to rumors that AMI Labs may be seeking funding at a $3.5 billion valuation. According to Bloomberg, venture firms in discussions with the startup include Cathay Innovation, Greycroft, and Hiro Capital, where LeCun serves as an advisor. Other potential backers are said to include 20VC, Bpifrance, Daphni, and HV Capital.

No matter which investors ultimately participate, they should take note of a key organizational detail: as LeCun has clarified, he holds the position of executive chairman at AMI, not CEO. That responsibility falls to Alex LeBrun, former co-founder and CEO of Nabla, a healthcare AI startup with operations in Paris and New York.

LeBrun’s move from Nabla to AMI stems from a partnership announced last December between Nabla—which creates AI assistants for clinical care and counts LeCun as an advisor—and the new venture. In exchange for privileged access to AMI’s world models, Nabla’s board approved LeBrun’s transition from CEO to Chief AI Scientist and chairman, enabling him to take on his new leadership role.

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Tickets are now available! Save as much as $680 with these exclusive rates, and be among the first 500 registrants to receive 50% off a +1 pass. TechCrunch Disrupt gathers top executives from Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, a16z, Hugging Face, and many others for 250+ sessions focused on accelerating growth and honing your competitive advantage. Engage with hundreds of groundbreaking startups and participate in curated networking opportunities that lead to valuable deals, insights, and inspiration.

As CEO of AMI Labs, LeBrun will work alongside colleagues he already knows well. After Facebook acquired his previous startup, Wit.ai, the serial entrepreneur and AI engineer reported to LeCun at Meta’s AI research lab, FAIR. Reports also indicate that the team will include Laurent Solly, who resigned as Meta’s vice president for Europe last December.

The connection between AMI and Meta may extend further. LeCun informed the MIT Technology Review that his former employer could become AMI’s inaugural customer. At the same time, he has publicly questioned certain strategic decisions made by Meta under Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership. More broadly, the Review views AMI Labs as a deliberate challenge to the dominance of large language models (LLMs).

Among the LLM shortcomings highlighted by LeCun are hallucinations—a critical issue in fields like medicine, as LeBrun can attest from experience. AMI Labs’ CEO told Forbes that a major motivation for accepting the role was the potential to apply the startup’s world models in healthcare. However, the company will also pursue other high-impact application areas.

“AMI Labs will advance AI research and develop applications where reliability, controllability, and safety are essential—particularly in industrial process control, automation, wearable technology, robotics, healthcare, and other sectors,” the company stated in its mission. “We are united by one conviction: true intelligence does not begin with language. It begins with the world.”

Unlike generative methods, which LeCun and his team consider ill-suited for unpredictable data like sensor inputs, the startup claims its AI systems will not only understand the real world but also possess persistent memory, reasoning and planning capabilities, and guaranteed safety and controllability.

The company intends to license its technology to industry partners for practical applications, but also commits to contributing to the future of AI “alongside the global academic research community through open publications and open-source projects.” LeCun confirmed he will maintain his professorship at NYU, where he teaches one annual course and oversees PhD and postdoctoral researchers.

This means the French-born researcher will continue to be based in New York, though he told the MIT Technology Review that AMI Labs “will operate as a global company headquartered in Paris.” French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the news, expressing pride that LeCun—also a Turing Award recipient—selected Paris. “We will do everything possible to support his success from France,” Macron stated.

The startup will also maintain offices in Montreal, New York, and Singapore, but its choice of Paris as headquarters will strengthen the city’s standing as an AI hub, where it will join companies like H, Mistral AI, and several international research labs, including FAIR. It seems fitting that AMI is pronounced “a-mee”—the same as “ami,” the French word for “friend,” as LeCun has noted.