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Fei-Fei Li, Stanford AI Leader, Launches 'Spatial Intelligence' Startup
Fei-Fei Li, a prominent AI leader, is launching a startup focused on "spatial intelligence." Investors in the company include Andreessen Horowitz and Radical Ventures. Li's research aims to teach computers how to navigate and interact in three-dimensional environments.
This development could mark a significant leap forward for AI technology.
Li, widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of AI, recently secured funding for her startup through a seed funding round. Among the investors are Andreessen Horowitz, a prominent Silicon Valley venture firm, and Radical Ventures, a Canadian firm where Li serves as a scientific partner.
Representatives from both Andreessen Horowitz and Radical Ventures declined to comment on the matter, while Li herself has not responded to requests for comment.
Known as the "godmother of AI," Li earned this title due to her groundbreaking contributions to the field. In 2018, she was part of a trio of researchers who received the prestigious Turing Award, the highest honor in computing, for their remarkable advancements in AI technology.
One source familiar with the startup referred to a recent TED conference talk given by Li in Vancouver. During the talk, she discussed cutting-edge research involving algorithms capable of extrapolating images and text in three-dimensional environments, a concept she referred to as "spatial intelligence."
To illustrate this concept, Li showcased an image of a cat extending its paw to push a glass towards the edge of a table. She explained that the human brain can instantaneously assess the geometry of the glass, its position in 3D space, and its relationship with the table, the cat, and other elements. This spatial intelligence allows the brain to predict potential outcomes and take preventive action.
Li's own lab at Stanford University is dedicated to teaching computers how to navigate and interact in the three-dimensional world. For instance, they are using a large language model to train a robotic arm to perform tasks such as opening doors and making sandwiches based on verbal instructions.
Li gained recognition in the AI field for creating ImageNet, a vast image dataset that played a pivotal role in advancing computer vision technologies and enabling reliable object identification.
In addition to her academic work, Li co-directs Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute, which focuses on developing AI technology to enhance the human condition. She has also held positions at Google Cloud, where she led AI efforts, and served on Twitter's board of directors. Li has advised policymakers, including those at the White House.
Li has expressed concerns about the funding gap in AI research between the well-resourced private sector and academic and government labs. She has called for a "moonshot mentality" from the U.S. government to invest in scientific applications of AI and research its potential risks.
According to her Stanford profile, Li will be on partial leave from the beginning of 2024 until the end of 2025. Her research interests include "cognitively inspired AI," computer vision, and robotic learning.
On LinkedIn, Li describes her current job as "newbie" and "something new," starting from January 2024.
By venturing into the startup world, Li joins the race among leading AI companies to imbue their algorithms with common sense, aiming to overcome the limitations of current technologies like large language models, which often generate nonsensical responses amidst their impressive human-like capabilities.
Experts argue that the ability to "reason" is a crucial milestone that must be achieved before AI models can attain artificial general intelligence (AGI), surpassing human capabilities in most tasks.
While some researchers believe that enhancing existing models is the key to improving reasoning, others advocate for the use of new "world models" that can assimilate visual information from the physical environment, mimicking the learning process of infants.
Fei-Fei Li, a prominent AI leader, is launching a startup focused on "spatial intelligence."
Investors in the company include Andreessen Horowitz and Radical Ventures.
Li's research aims to teach computers how to navigate and interact in three-dimensional environments.
Source: REUTERS