Yann LeCun steps beyond Meta with AMI Labs, ties up with Nabla

Deep learning pioneer Yann LeCun has launched a new research organisation called Advanced Machine Intelligence, or AMI Labs, marking a significant move beyond his role at Meta, as per a report by StartupHub.ai. The new outfit has entered into an exclusive strategic partnership with Nabla, a healthcare-focused AI assistant company known for its clinical documentation tools. As part of the leadership transition, Nabla chief executive Alex LeBrun will take on the role of CEO at AMI Labs while also becoming chief AI scientist and chairman at Nabla, in a structure designed to accelerate the translation of advanced AI research into real-world clinical use.

The collaboration is centred on the development of so-called World Models, which LeCun has long advocated as a necessary evolution beyond large language models. While LLMs have demonstrated strengths in tasks such as medical note-taking, both LeCun and Nabla have flagged their limitations, particularly hallucinations and non-deterministic reasoning, which pose risks in regulated sectors like healthcare. World Models are intended to enable deterministic, auditable decision-making and simulation, capabilities viewed as essential for building agentic AI systems that can meet regulatory standards, including potential FDA certification.

For Nabla, which has reportedly more than tripled its annual recurring revenue this year, the partnership offers preferential access to next-generation AI architectures that could allow it to outpace rivals relying solely on existing LLM-based approaches. The company is positioning itself to move beyond workflow assistance towards more autonomous clinical agents. LeCun, who has been an early investor and advisor to Nabla, reportedly views the startup as an ideal environment to move World Models from academic research into regulated, real-world deployment faster than previously expected.

The move also reflects a broader shift in the AI industry, where the focus is increasingly on building reliable, grounded systems capable of simulating outcomes rather than simply scaling model size. In healthcare, where errors carry high stakes, determinism and auditability are becoming central requirements. Nabla’s established presence in ambient clinical documentation provides a foundation for this next phase, with World Model integration signalling a potential expansion into more complex clinical decision-support functions over time.

Operationally, Nabla chief operating officer Delphine Groll will oversee day-to-day management while the company conducts a search for a new CEO. Strategic direction across both organisations will be guided by LeCun and LeBrun, aligning AMI Labs’ research agenda closely with Nabla’s product roadmap. The partnership effectively links cutting-edge foundational AI research with a revenue-generating healthcare application layer, underscoring how competition to build safe, autonomous AI agents is intensifying in highly regulated industries.