Yann LeCun to Launch New AI Startup Focused on Advanced Machine Intelligence

Meta’s Chief AI Scientist, Yann LeCun, announced that he will leave the company at the end of the year after a 12-year tenure that shaped the direction of modern artificial intelligence research.

In a statement shared on social media, LeCun reflected on his time at Meta—five years as the founding director of Facebook AI Research (FAIR) and seven years as Chief AI Scientist—calling the impact of FAIR on the company and the broader AI ecosystem “spectacular.”

In October, The Left Shift exclusively reported that LeCun was dissatisfied with Meta’s recent restructuring—which resulted in roughly 600 positions being eliminated—and that he was likely to depart the company soon.

LeCun revealed he is launching a new startup dedicated to continuing his Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) research programme.

The initiative, developed over several years with collaborators at FAIR, NYU, and other institutions, aims to push AI beyond pattern recognition toward systems that “understand the physical world, have persistent memory, can reason, and can plan complex action sequences.”

He described the founding of FAIR as his “proudest non-technical accomplishment,” noting its influence on global AI research and its role in open science.

He also confirmed that Meta will be a partner in the new company, signaling a continued relationship despite his departure.

While the AMI initiative could have broad applications across industries, LeCun said an independent entity would “maximize its broad impact,” especially in areas beyond Meta’s commercial focus.

Further details about the startup will be announced later, LeCun said, adding that he will remain at Meta until year-end.