Meta’s head of artificial intelligence, Yann LeCun, warned that funding cuts could lead to an exodus of technical talent from the US, which could be attracted by Europe, which offers more favorable conditions for research.
Meta’s head of artificial intelligence, Yann LeCun, warned that funding cuts could lead to an exodus of technical talent from the US, which could be attracted by Europe, which offers more favorable conditions for research.
«The US appears intent on destroying its public research funding system. Many American scientists are looking for a plan B,» LeCun wrote in a LinkedIn post on Saturday, Business Insider reported .
The Trump administration has issued several executive orders cutting funding, which has caused concern among the American scientific community.
There have been announcements of major cuts to the National Institutes of Health that will effectively end billions in federal funding for biomedical research. On Friday, a judge extended a temporary block on the cuts due to lawsuits alleging illegal cuts filed by states and universities.
«A normal government would never do this,» former Harvard Medical School dean Jeffrey Flier wrote about the funding cuts in his X post.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to cut costs, has also begun to interfere with the work of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and NASA .
Trump’s executive order, which runs counter to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, has also raised concerns that it could threaten academic research at universities.
LeCun, who earned his bachelor’s and doctorate in philosophy in France, believes that changes in the US should serve as a signal to European institutions and companies.
«You may have the opportunity to attract the best scientists in the world,» he wrote.
He shared seven things he believes talented researchers want to see in any university, company, or government research institution they join:
His message to Europe: «To attract the best scientific and technological talent, make scientific and technological research professions attractive.»
