Llion Jones
TL;DR Llion Jones is a pioneering AI researcher, co-author of the Transformer architecture, and co-founder of Sakana AI, now leading the push toward AI models beyond transformers.
Llion Jones by Sora
Llion Jones is one of the most influential figures in modern artificial intelligence, best known as a co-author of the groundbreaking Attention Is All You Need paper that introduced the Transformer architecture and reshaped the entire field of machine learning. His work laid the foundation for today’s most advanced AI systems, and his career continues to evolve as he champions the next generation of AI research. From his decade at Google Research to co-founding Sakana AI in Japan, Jones has become a driving force behind both the past and future of AI innovation.
Llion Jones first rose to global prominence in 2017 as one of the eight authors of the seminal Attention Is All You Need paper, which introduced the Transformer, the architecture now powering models such as GPT, BERT, Claude, Llama, and nearly all modern large language models. This contribution remains one of the most widely cited and impactful works in the history of AI, surpassing tens of thousands of citations and forming the backbone of the generative AI revolution.
Before that breakthrough, Jones built a reputation at Google Research in Tokyo, where he spent over a decade working on large-scale machine learning, question-answering systems, and natural language processing. His projects included contributions to Google’s Natural Questions benchmark and linguistic research that improved pronunciation and geographic feature handling in products such as Google Maps.
In 2023, Jones co-founded Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based startup focused on developing alternative and nature-inspired AI architectures. As CTO, he leads research aimed at moving beyond transformer-centric thinking and toward new, biologically inspired computational paradigms. Sakana AI quickly gained international attention as one of the most exciting AI startups of the mid-2020s.
Jones is also known for his growing public advocacy. He has spoken at major conferences, such as TED AI San Francisco, urging the AI community to break free from incremental transformer improvements and pursue new directions for model architecture and scientific understanding. He has openly stated he is “absolutely sick of transformers,” highlighting the need for innovation beyond the paradigm he initially helped create.
Today, Llion Jones stands at a rare intersection: a foundational contributor to the most essential model architecture of the AI era, and a leading voice pushing the field toward its next evolution.
Co-author of Attention Is All You Need, introducing the Transformer architecture.
Foundational influence on nearly all modern language models, including GPT, BERT, T5, Claude, and Llama.
Over a decade of research at Google, contributing to question-answering, natural language systems, and applied ML.
Co-founder and CTO of Sakana AI, developing alternative and biologically inspired AI models.
Prominent public advocate for moving beyond transformer architectures and exploring new AI paradigms.
Speaker at global AI events, including TED AI, discussing the future direction and ethics of AI research.
Contributed to linguistic and geographic feature research used in large-scale consumer products.
Recognized as one of the most influential thought leaders guiding the next phase of AI architectural innovation.
