Yann LeCun Launches $1B AI Startup AMI Labs

The AI pioneer aims to build 'World Models' that can reason and plan in the real world, departing from the current focus on large language models.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 10:06am

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Yann LeCun, the renowned AI researcher who co-invented convolutional neural networks and won the Turing Award, has left Meta and launched a new $1 billion AI startup called AMI Labs. LeCun's goal is to develop 'World Models' that can truly understand the physical world, in contrast to the current focus on large language models. AMI Labs has already attracted significant investment from tech giants like Nvidia, Jeff Bezos, and several major European and Asian funds.

Why it matters

LeCun's departure from Meta and the ambitious vision of AMI Labs represents a potential shift in the trajectory of AI development. While large language models have dominated the field in recent years, LeCun believes a more holistic understanding of the physical world is necessary to achieve human-level intelligence. The success of AMI Labs could influence the broader direction of AI research and applications.

The details

At AMI Labs, LeCun is assembling a team of leading AI researchers to pursue an approach focused on 'World Models' - systems that can reason about the physical world, remember past experiences, and plan future actions, rather than relying solely on language processing. The startup aims to develop AI that can be applied to domains like robotics, industry, transportation, and healthcare. AMI Labs has already secured a $1 billion funding round, the largest first funding round in European history, from investors including Nvidia, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos, and major European and Asian funds.

  • In November 2025, Yann LeCun left his role as Chief AI Scientist at Meta.
  • In March 2026, AMI Labs announced its $1 billion funding round.

The players

Yann LeCun

A renowned AI researcher who co-invented convolutional neural networks and won the Turing Award. He left his role as Chief AI Scientist at Meta to launch AMI Labs.

AMI Labs

A new $1 billion AI startup founded by Yann LeCun, aiming to develop 'World Models' that can reason about the physical world, in contrast to the current focus on large language models.

Nvidia

A technology company that designs graphics processing units (GPUs) and is an investor in AMI Labs.

Jeff Bezos

The founder of Amazon, who has invested in AMI Labs through his personal fund.

Bpifrance

A French public investment bank that is an investor in AMI Labs.

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What they’re saying

“Language models alone will never achieve intelligence close to that of humans. The path forward first requires an understanding of the physical world.”

— Yann LeCun, Founder, AMI Labs (marketscreener.com)

“Yann LeCun and his team have already mentioned opportunities in heavy and demanding sectors, such as robotics, industry, transport, or healthcare, but also, eventually, in domestic robotics.”

— Esteban Tesson, Author (marketscreener.com)

What’s next

AMI Labs plans to expand its offices in Paris, Singapore, New York, and Montreal to recruit more engineers and researchers to help bring its ambitious vision to life.

The takeaway

Yann LeCun's departure from Meta and the launch of AMI Labs represents a potential shift in the direction of AI development, moving away from the current focus on large language models towards a more holistic understanding of the physical world. The success of AMI Labs could have significant implications for the future of artificial intelligence.