In recent news, OpenAI-backed firm 1X has taken a big leap in advancing their robotics development. After a successful launch of ChatGPT—their generative AI tool—1X has officially placed the first humanoid robot, EVE, into the workforce. EVE has become the security guard at an Android manufacturing facility, revolutionizing the field of security and surveillance.
The humanoid is sophisticatedly programmed to detect any suspicious activities and will immediately take control of any misbehaving robot through virtual reality. It has been reported as being incredibly agile—shown in its ability to open windows and doors, collect certain goods, and do a variety of human-like tasks. Apart from that, OpenAI has now reportedly invested in the company to help develop a robot that has legs.
Tesla, who has been working on integrating a similar robot in the workforce, was beaten to the punch by OpenAI and 1X. The Elon Musk-run company had previously unveiled Optimus, or Tesla Bot, a smart humanoid in 2022. Videos of an improved version, with better torque control and AI-training from human actions, have been surfacing across the internet.
Not to be outdone, Canadian firm Sanctuary AI has revealed its own humanoid, named Phoenix. This AI-powered robot was designed to lift objects up to 25 kg and demonstrated its strength by becoming staff at a retail store. Once capable, the robot was seen carrying out packing, tagging, and cleaning tasks with ease.
Although the future of robots joining the real workforce seems inevitable, AI will only ever supplement humans. We need human intelligence to create a context and provide training for such robots, as well as to supervise and manage their activities. With OpenAI’s breakthrough and other firms’ continual developments, who knows how AI might shape our future?
OpenAI is a San Francisco-based AI powerhouse which is currently the most powerful AI in the world. It is well-known for its generative AI tool ChatGPT which is used in robotics development. It is owned and run by Sam Altman, a successful investor and entrepreneur. Altman has an outstanding reputation for successfully leading a number of startups such as Optimizely and Pocket Gems through the Y Combinator to great success.
