François Chollet, former Google engineer and the creator of the widely used Python deep learning framework difficulthave co-founded GOODa new AI research and science lab, with Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier.

In a post on the new startup websitethe founders explained their goals of combining intuitive pattern recognition, which can be done through deep learning, with formal reasoning through what they call “guided program synthesis.”

According to them, this fusion will allow AI systems to adapt and evolve beyond current task-specific applications, ultimately leading to artificial general intelligence (AGI), defined as across the AI ​​community as machine intelligence that can surpass humans in the most economically valuable. and cognitive tasks. As they write:

“We need computers that can pose problems and explore new territory, not just apply known solutions. We need computers that can innovate. The road to AGI is not through incremental improvements to existing methods.

The duo has not said whether they received external funding for this venture or bootstrapped it with their own funds.

This comes months after former OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, reportedly led a briefly successful but ultimately overturned internal coup against his fellow co-founder, Sam Altman, also announced a startup focused on developing “Secure Superintelligence” with $1 billion in private backing.

Beyond deep learning

While existing deep learning systems are impressive, Chollet and Knoop argue that they are primarily limited by their reliance on large datasets and their inability to adapt efficiently to new tasks.

Chollet and Knoop believe that program synthesis is the key to overcoming these limitations.

Unlike traditional deep learning, which interpolates between data points, program synthesis looks for discrete programs that explain the data. This method allows for greater generalization with fewer data points.

Combining deep learning’s intuitive capabilities with rigorous reasoning in program synthesis may lead to a new paradigm for AI research.

“Ndea’s mission is to enable AGI to realize unprecedented scientific progress for the benefit of all present and future generations,” they said.

Building a “Factory for Scientific Progress”

Ndea’s long-term vision goes beyond creating AGI. The lab aims to act as a “factory for rapid scientific development,” capable of solving known and unknown challenges.

From tackling current frontiers such as autonomous vehicles and sustainable energy to facilitating entirely new discoveries, the lab sees itself as a catalyst for scientific progress.

Chollet added that their research direction has the potential to open breakthroughs and redefine the boundaries of human knowledge. As he wrote in an X thread: “If we succeed, we will not stop at AI. With this technology, we want to tackle every scientific problem it can solve. We see the acceleration of scientific progress as the most exciting application of AI. “

According to Chollet, this progress depends on developing AI that can learn as efficiently as humans and continue to improve over time without bottlenecks.

While acknowledging that success is not guaranteed, Chollet stressed the importance of pursuing this ambitious goal, telling X: “We believe we have a small but real chance of achieving a breakthrough – making AI that can continue to evolve over time with no bottlenecks in sight.”

A New Research Focus for AGI

Program synthesis, the basis of Ndea’s research, is a relatively young field. Chollet likened its current state to where deep learning was in 2012.

However, he notes that its potential is increasingly being recognized by frontier AI labs, even though many see it as only a small component of what is needed for AGI.

Ndea, in contrast, considers program synthesis as equally important as deep learning and makes it central to their approach.

The lab is also actively recruiting a globally distributed team of researchers and engineers to build what it describes as the most “talent-dense program synthesis team” in the world.

The company operates as a fully remote organization and is looking for candidates with strong technical skills, especially in translating mathematical concepts into code.

Builders with strong track records

François Chollet and Mike Knoop bring a wealth of experience to Ndea.

At Google, Chollet works on core research in deep learning and AI systems, gaining insights into the limitations of existing models and opportunities for improvement. His contributions include not only Keras but also the ARC-AGI benchmark, is a widely used metric for measuring progress toward AGI.

He is also the author of the book Deep Learning with Python and recognized by Time’s “100 Most Influential People in AI.”

Knoop founded Zapier, the world’s largest AI automation company, where he led engineering and product development as well as the company’s early adoption of AI technologies.

He is also credited with pioneering best practices for globally distributed teams. Both Chollet and Knoop are co-founders of the ARC Prize Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing open AGI research.

Future visions are rooted in ancient tradition

Ndea derives its name from Greek concepts ennoia (intuitive understanding) and dianoia (logical reasoning), which reflects the lab’s goal of combining deep learning and program synthesis. By enabling AGI, Ndea hopes to compress centuries of scientific progress into decades or even years.

While acknowledging the uncertainties and challenges of advancing AGI, Chollet and Knoop remain optimistic about their approach. They see AGI as the gateway to addressing humanity’s most pressing challenges and uncovering entirely new discovery opportunities.