Fei-Fei Li, a luminary in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), is embarking on an ambitious venture: a startup aimed at imbuing AI with human-like visual processing capabilities, as revealed by six sources to Reuters. This endeavor represents a significant leap forward for AI technology, promising to enhance its capacity for advanced reasoning.

Having secured funding in a recent seed round, Li’s startup attracted investment from prominent entities such as Silicon Valley’s Andreessen Horowitz and Canadian firm Radical Ventures, leveraging her reputation as a pioneer in AI. Li’s leadership in the field earned her the moniker “godmother of AI,” drawing parallels to the esteemed “godfathers” who revolutionized computing and were honored with the Turing Award in 2018.

Li’s vision for the startup revolves around leveraging spatial intelligence, a concept she elucidated during a TED talk in Vancouver. Spatial intelligence enables AI algorithms to extrapolate and act upon predictions in three-dimensional environments, akin to the innate abilities of the human brain. By bridging the gap between perception and action, Li aims to cultivate a new era of AI capable of nuanced reasoning and decision-making.

Her illustrious career includes groundbreaking contributions such as the creation of ImageNet, a seminal image dataset that revolutionized computer vision technology. Li’s work at Stanford University’s Human-Centered AI Institute underscores her commitment to harnessing AI for the betterment of society, while her tenure at Google Cloud and advisory roles highlight her influence in shaping AI policy and innovation.

Li’s foray into the startup arena underscores her pursuit of addressing fundamental challenges in AI, particularly in instilling common sense and reasoning abilities. This quest aligns with the broader industry push towards achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), where AI systems can rival or surpass human capabilities across diverse tasks.

As she navigates this new chapter, Li brings her expertise and passion to the forefront, embodying a commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI research and application. Her transition into the startup ecosystem signals a pivotal moment in the quest for AI advancement, where innovation and collaboration converge to redefine the future of technology.