The Godmother of AI on jobs, robots & why world models are next | Dr. Fei-Fei Li

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is known as the “godmother of AI.” She’s been at the center of AI’s biggest breakthroughs for over two decades. She spearheaded ImageNet, the dataset that sparked the deep-learning revolution we’re living right now, served as Google Cloud’s Chief AI Scientist, directed Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, and co-founded Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI. In this conversation, Fei-Fei shares the rarely told history of how we got here—including the wild fact that just nine years ago, calling yourself an AI company was basically a death sentence.

We discuss:

1. How ImageNet helped spark the AI explosion we’re living through

2. Why world models and spatial intelligence represent the next frontier in AI, beyond large language models

3. Why Fei-Fei believes AI won’t replace humans but will require us to take responsibility for ourselves

4. The surprising applications of Marble, from movie production to psychological research

5. Why robotics faces unique challenges compared with language models and what’s needed to overcome them

6. How to participate in AI regardless of your role

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Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-godmother-of-ai

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My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers):

https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/178223233/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation

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Where to find Dr. Fei-Fei Li

• X: https://x.com/drfeifei

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fei-fei-li-4541247

• World Labs: https://www.worldlabs.ai

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction to Dr. Fei-Fei Li

(05:31) The evolution of AI

(09:37) The birth of ImageNet

(17:25) The rise of deep learning

(23:53) The future of AI and AGI

(29:51) Introduction to world models

(40:45) The bitter lesson in AI and robotics

(48:02) Introducing Marble, a revolutionary product

(51:00) Applications and use cases of Marble

(01:01:01) The founder’s journey and insights

(01:10:05) Human-centered AI at Stanford

(01:14:24) The role of AI in various professions

(01:18:16) Conclusion and final thoughts

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References: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-godmother-of-ai

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.