Post by Fast Company

World models are replacing large language models as the next wave of artificial intelligence investment and hype—and Fei-Fei Li's World Labs has first-mover advantage.⁠ ⁠ World Labs emerged from stealth in September 2024 with no product, $230 million in funding, and a billion-dollar valuation. Last February, four months after announcing its generative AI app Marble, which Li still refers to as “a proto-product,” it raised a billion dollars more.⁠ ⁠ Why? Because AI, just a few years after LLMs such as ChatGPT and Claude began remaking the global economy, is already seeking its next act.⁠ ⁠ Li believes it will center on what she calls “spatial intelligence”: AI that can go beyond next-word prediction and learn how the real world works.⁠ ⁠ “Spatial intelligence, to me, is the North Star,” Li says. “And a world model is a means [to get there].”⁠ ⁠ Known as "The Godmother of AI" in many circles, Li is focused on understanding the real world, not just the digital one.⁠ ⁠ Read the full cover story from Fast Company's Summer issue: https://bit.ly/4gjcIaP