- Meta’s chief AI scientist accused the Trump administration of starting a “witch hunt” in academia.
- Yann LeCun said Monday that academics were at risk of losing their green cards “based on their speech.”
- LeCun previously warned of US brain drain because of research funding cuts.
Meta’s chief AI scientist has ramped up his criticism of the Trump administration, accusing it of starting a “witch hunt in academia” that could undermine the US’s position in AI research.
“The Trump administration has started a witch hunt in academia, moving to cancel the green card of some folks and expel them based on their speech (so much for free speech!),” Yann LeCun wrote in a Monday LinkedIn post.
LeCun, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and one of the godfathers of modern AI, compared the situation to the Cold War-era Red Scare, referencing Qian Xuesen, a Chinese scientist accused of communism in the 1950s and deported to China.
Qian later led China’s nuclear missile program — a move Dan A. Kimball, the United States Undersecretary of the Navy, later called “the stupidest thing this country ever did,” LeCun noted.
His remarks come as AI industry leaders warn that President Donald Trump’s policies could weaken America’s standing in the field. On Monday, a coalition of AI and tech groups sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, cautioning that Trump administration cuts to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, could hamper US AI leadership.
While Trump supported AI research at NIST during his first term, his administration is now scaling back funding and public-private collaboration.
“We caution that downsizing NIST or eliminating these initiatives will have ramifications for the ability of the American AI industry to continue to lead globally,” the groups wrote.
LeCun has previously echoed these warnings. In February, he said that Trump’s cuts to research funding could push US-based scientists abroad.
“The US seems set on destroying its public research funding system. Many US-based scientists are looking for a Plan B,” he wrote on LinkedIn last month.
However, LeCun’s most recent comments appear to escalate his warnings, pointing to government pressure on the tech industry itself.
While he noted the tech industry as a whole is not aligned with authoritarianism, “it has to survive in an environment where the government demands total submission under the threat of harassment into oblivion.”
LeCun also took aim at Elon Musk, writing that the billionaire is “aligned with authoritarianism, conspiracy theories, and the erosion of reliable sources of information.”
His remarks come as Meta and Mark Zuckerberg have taken steps that appear to strengthen ties with Trump and his allies — including Musk.
In the past seven months, Zuckerberg has praised Trump as a “badass” after an assassination attempt, met with him at Mar-a-Lago, donated $1 million to his inaugural committee via Meta, and attended Trump’s inauguration.
Meta has also cut back on fact-checking efforts, which some argue helps appease Trump’s base, who have previously spoken out against what they have seen as Big Tech censorship of right-wing voices.
LeCun did not address Meta’s political stance directly, but his criticism of authoritarianism and Big Tech’s vulnerabilities could be seen as at odds with the company’s recent moves.
LeCun, who has been at Meta for over 11 years, clarified in a LinkedIn comment that his influence at the company is “largely intellectual.”
Meta, LeCun, Musk, and the White House did not immediately respond to a Business Insider request for comment.
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