Ex-OpenAI researcher says investors lag AI research by 3–5 years

Businessinsider reports that Jenny Xiao, a former OpenAI researcher and cofounder of Leonis Capital, said investors are three to five years behind current AI research.

Speaking on the Fortune Magazine podcast this week, Xiao said there is a "massive disconnect" between what researchers are seeing and what investors are seeing, and that discussions at the biggest AI conferences can lag researchers' thinking by as much as three to five years. She said she founded Leonis Capital in 2021 after leaving a researcher role at OpenAI and that she dropped out of a Ph.D. program in economics and AI to take that role; her stated aim is to bridge venture capital and deep academic AI research.

Xiao urged investors to become as technical as founders, to recognise that "AI progress isn't linear" and that development happens in "lumps," and said investors must be prepared to provide financial support to both the market and the technology. Leonis Capital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Key Topics

Tech, Jenny Xiao, Leonis Capital, Openai, Ai Research, Ai Conferences