AI 'Godfather' Foresees Major Tech Revolution Within Five Years.
Yann LeCun, a prominent figure in the field of artificial intelligence and chief AI scientist at Meta, has expressed that existing technologies are insufficient for the development of domestic robots and fully autonomous vehicles. He anticipates a significant transformation in AI by the end of the decade, contingent upon achieving new advancements that would enable these systems to comprehend and engage with the physical environment.
LeCun's remarks came during the announcement of the £500,000 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, which was awarded to him and six other engineers for their pivotal roles in advancing machine learning, a fundamental aspect of AI.
The recent advancements in the field, particularly following the introduction of OpenAI's ChatGPT, have raised both hopes and concerns regarding the potential for systems to attain human-like intelligence. Nevertheless, LeCun cautioned that there remains a considerable distance to cover before artificial intelligences can rival the cognitive abilities of humans or animals, noting that while current technologies are proficient in "manipulating language," they fall short in their understanding of the physical world.
“There are still a lot of scientific and technological challenges ahead, and it’s very likely that there’s going to be yet another AI revolution over the next three to five years because of the limitation of current systems,” he said. “If we want eventually to build things like domestic robots and completely autonomous cars, we need systems to understand the real world.”
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LeCun is engaged in developing systems that strive to comprehend physical reality by creating a model capable of forecasting the behavior of the world. Regarding the advancements in artificial intelligence, he remarked: “We’re not talking about matching the level of humans yet. If we get a system that is as smart as a cat or a rat, that would be a victory.”
Yoshua Bengio, a fellow recipient of the QEPrize and recognized as an AI pioneer, cautioned that further advancements are necessary regarding the safety of the technology. He urged that the upcoming global AI summit in Paris should address this critical issue.
“I’d like to see the leaders of this world to better understand the magnitude of what we are doing, both in terms of the power we’re creating, which could be for good or be dangerous, and the risks that come with that power,” he said.
In 2018, Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun were jointly awarded the Turing Award, often regarded as the computing equivalent of the Nobel Prize, alongside Geoffrey Hinton, who was also recognized as a QEPrize laureate on Tuesday. This accolade follows the recognition of AI pioneers who received two Nobel Prizes the previous year. Among them was Hinton, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with John Hopfield, another recipient of this year's QEPrize, as well as the scientists from Google DeepMind who were honored with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Machine learning serves as a fundamental mechanism in the advancement of artificial intelligence. Rather than receiving direct instructions, computers acquire knowledge by analyzing data, enabling them to make informed decisions or predictions, such as determining the next word in a sequence.
The other recipients of the 2025 QEPrize include Fei-Fei Li, the Chinese-American computer scientist renowned for developing ImageNet, a vital dataset for training AI systems to identify objects; Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, a leading manufacturer of chips essential for operating and training AI technologies; and Bill Dally, the chief scientist at Nvidia.
Patrick Vallance, chair of the QEPrize foundation and the UK science minister, remarked on the widespread influence of machine learning across various sectors, economies, and the environment. He emphasized that the annual prize honors engineers whose innovations significantly impact billions of lives globally.
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While AI advancements promise groundbreaking innovations, we must approach this rapid progress with caution. Yann LeCun’s optimism about an upcoming AI revolution underscores both potential benefits and risks. The limitations of current systems highlight the immense challenges ahead, particularly in ensuring AI’s safe integration into society.
Yoshua Bengio’s warnings about AI safety must not be ignored—unregulated development could lead to unintended consequences, from job displacement to ethical dilemmas. As AI grows more powerful, global leaders must establish robust frameworks to prevent misuse. Without proper oversight, this technological revolution may bring as many dangers as it does opportunities.
