François Chollet, the creator of the popular Keras deep-learning library, has started a new AI lab called Ndea. This lab aims to create Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a type of AI that can perform many cognitive tasks at or beyond human ability.
Ndea’s Mission and Founders
Chollet co-founded Ndea with Mike Knoop, a former co-founder of Zapier. The lab’s goal is to combine program synthesis with deep learning to build AI that can think, adapt, and innovate like humans. Their work seeks to move beyond today’s AI systems, which are mainly good at specific tasks or recognizing patterns.
Why Chollet Left Google
Chollet, who spent almost 10 years at Google, left to focus on Ndea. He has often talked about the limits of large language models (LLMs), which require massive datasets and struggle to generalize from small examples. At Ndea, the team believes program synthesis could be the key to creating more adaptable and intelligent AI.
Community Reactions to Ndea
The announcement of Ndea has excited many in the tech world. Posts on X (formerly Twitter) show people discussing Chollet’s expertise and the potential of his ideas. Some are optimistic about Ndea’s approach, while others note the challenges of computational requirements for program synthesis.
Focus Beyond AGI
Ndea is not just trying to build AGI but also hopes to study and simulate how humans learn and develop. This could help in fields like drug discovery or materials science, where advanced AI could speed up research.
Job Openings and Nonprofit Plans
Ndea is hiring remote researchers and appears to have secured funding, though the details are not public. The company is also starting a nonprofit to create benchmarks for AGI, ensuring transparency and measurable progress in this challenging field.
A Growing Trend Among AI Researchers
Chollet’s decision to start his own lab is part of a larger trend. Other well-known researchers, like Ilya Sutskever and Fei-Fei Li, have also launched independent labs. These smaller organizations often explore innovative ideas outside the boundaries of big tech companies.
Looking Ahead
Ndea’s journey to create AGI will be closely watched by the AI community. While the challenges are significant, breakthroughs in AGI could redefine what AI can achieve. Many hope this effort will lead to transformative progress in technology and science.
Leave a Reply