Francois Chollet Launches AGI Startup Ndea

François Chollet, a prominent AI researcher and creator of Keras, has co-founded Ndea, a new research lab focused on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI). Partnering with Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier, the lab aims to merge program synthesis with deep learning techniques to create adaptable AI systems capable of true innovation. Chollet emphasizes the potential of program synthesis to generalize from fewer examples, overcoming challenges that traditional deep learning faces. He believes this approach could lead to breakthroughs in AGI, which many researchers view as a pivotal moment in scientific history. Ndea is currently hiring remote researchers as it seeks to build a world-class team, though it has not disclosed any funding details thus far. The lab's mission aligns with the broader goal within the AI community to achieve human-level intelligence in machines.