World Labs CEO Says US Must Set Good Example on AI

Fei-Fei Li, the co-founder and CEO of World Labs, has warned that the U.S. must set a positive example regarding artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent global setbacks in technological progress. Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg News, Li emphasized that the U.S. should demonstrate the "incredible economic value" of AI, stating, "If we are not showing a positive attitude and positive path toward AI, everybody loses."

The remarks come as skepticism about AI grows in the U.S., with a recent Pew Research Center survey indicating that half of Americans feel more worried than excited about AI’s integration into daily life. Furthermore, some American communities have targeted the data centers powering the AI industry due to concerns about high water and energy consumption. In contrast, Asian nations have a more favorable view of AI, attributed to their early inclusion of AI in education, according to Li.

Li admitted that the scientific and educational communities might have fallen short in effectively communicating AI's benefits to the public. "I take it sometimes upon myself thinking that we’ve done a bad job communicating with the public," she said.

World Labs, founded by Li, recently secured $1 billion in February to develop "world models" aimed at enabling AI to navigate and make decisions in three-dimensional environments. Li believes these technologies will eventually transform fields such as robotics, healthcare, and education.

Recent research from PYMNTS Intelligence reveals that stronger results and time savings are increasing the use of AI among consumers, while growing user skills are transforming occasional AI experiments into routine habits. Between 58% and 69% of consumers who use AI now do so more often than when they first started, depending on the task.

PYMNTS Intelligence noted in its July edition of the Consumer AI Benchmark Report that the trend suggests a reinforcing cycle: "Better tools produce better results, users learn how to give those tools better instructions, and the combination makes AI useful for a wider range of activities."