Renowned computer scientist Fei-Fei Li, often hailed as the "AI matriarch," has founded a startup called World Labs. According to the Financial Times, in just four months, its valuation has exceeded $1 billion.
World Labs is dedicated to enabling AI with advanced reasoning capabilities by processing visual data in a similar manner to human cognition. The company's research is ongoing with the goal of making AI more human-like. Dr. Li is renowned for her contributions in the field of computer vision and led the development of ImageNet, a large-scale visual database for object recognition research.
Li served as the head of Google Cloud AI from 2017 to 2018 and currently advises the White House task force. She co-directs the Human-Centered AI Institute at Stanford University and founded World Labs during her tenure there.
In her April TED Talk, Li further explained that her startup will focus on advancing research areas including algorithms that can realistically extrapolate images and text into three-dimensional environments and act on these predictions, using a concept called "spatial intelligence." This could support work in robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, and computer vision. If these capabilities continue to develop according to Li's ambitious plans, they could revolutionize industries such as healthcare and manufacturing.
World Labs has completed two rounds of funding, with the latest round raising approximately $100 million, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and AI fund Rad Ventures. The investment in World Labs reflects a trend where venture capitalists are eager to support ambitious AI companies, buoyed by the unexpected success of OpenAI's ChatGPT, which quickly surpassed an $80 billion valuation.
Key Points:
⭐ Fei-Fei Li's new startup, World Labs, has exceeded a $1 billion valuation, aiming to enable AI with human-like advanced reasoning capabilities.
⭐ Fei-Fei Li has made significant contributions in the field of computer vision, leading the development of ImageNet, and is a key figure in the AI community.
⭐ The investment in World Labs demonstrates investors' enthusiastic support for ambitious AI companies, with a promising industry outlook.