Elon Musk and Meta AI Chief Yann LeCun Spar Over Science Definition

The recent disagreement between Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Yann LeCun, the AI Chief at Meta Platforms Inc., escalated as the two exchanged differing views on what constitutes science. The conflict was rekindled with a series of public exchanges starting Monday and continuing into the next day.

Clash Over Scientific Publication

On a busy Tuesday, the debate heated up when LeCun, responding to an X (previously Twitter) user's comment, stated that any research not published should not be considered science. Musk quickly retorted, dismissing LeCun's claim as "one of the dumbest things anyone has ever said."

LeCun elaborated on his viewpoint, emphasizing that research must be published, correct, reproducible, and detailed to be classified as scientific. He highlighted the importance of peer review and replicability, arguing that unpublished work isn't recognized as science since it cannot be built upon or used to create new technologies and products.

While acknowledging that unpublished research could still result in wealth if it leads to product development, LeCun maintained that the creator might end up feeling "a bit bitter and largely forgotten" if their work isn't shared.

Background of the Dispute

The spat reignited after Musk's call for hiring at his AI startup, xAI. LeCun took issue with the invitation in a sarcastic reply, hinting at the pressure of Musk’s optimistic timelines for AI advancements. The two have had a history of conflict dating back to at least 2017, frequently clashing over their views on the future of AI.

Earlier in the week, news surfaced that Musk's xAI had attained a stunning $6 billion in Series B funding, valuing the company at $24 billion, with its sole product being a chatbot named Grok, trained with data from X.

Musk, LeCun, debate