François Chollet, the 34-year-old Google software engineer and creator of deep-learning application programming interface (API) Keras, is challenging the AI status quo. While tech giants bet on achieving more advanced AIs by feeding ever more data and computational resources to large language models (LLMs), Chollet argues this approach alone won’t achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI).
His $1.1 million ARC Prize, launched in June 2024 with Mike Knoop, Lab42 and Infinite Monkey, dares researchers to solve spatial reasoning problems that confound current systems but are comparatively simple for humans. The competition’s results seem to be proving Chollet right. Though the top of the leaderboard is still far below the human average of 84%, top models are steadily improving—from 21% in 2020 to 43% accuracy.
Surprisingly, it’s not traditional methods leading the charge. Teams using alternatives like neurosymbolic AI, program search, and program synthesis are showing the most promise. These approaches aim to reason more like humans, moving beyond today’s hegemony of deep learning.
Chollet envisions AGI as a fusion of these new methods with deep learning and LLMs. For him, AGI isn’t a super-charged chatbot, but a tool for advancing human knowledge. “AGI is going to be a kind of super-competent scientist,” he says.
With over 800 teams competing, Chollet’s ARC Prize might just spark the next AI revolution from an unexpected direction.