AI software can now compose sonnets and draw cartoons (of debatable quality), but what we actually want are robots that can do our laundry and keep the house tidy. The good news is the race to build them is officially on.
What happened: Meta is planning a major push into AI-powered humanoid robots designed to do household chores.
- The company has formed a new division to focus on developing AI models, sensors and software that could be used by other companies that want to manufacture the robots themselves.
Zoom out: Meta will face competition from Apple, which is pursuing its home robotics projects, including a number of robotic devices made for people’s homes.
- Tesla is also a potential player in the space, with plans to put its Optimus robots to work in the company’s factories sometime this year.
- Figure, a startup building its own humanoid robots, is in talks to raise US$1.5 billion at a US$39.5 billion valuation.
Why it matters: The tech giants hope that humanoid robots will become the next “must-have” device and a major commercial success that more than justifies their massive investments in AI.
- Goldman Sachs forecasts the market for humanoid robots could reach US$38 billion by 2035, due largely to advances in AI that it expects will make it possible for robots to reliably accomplish tasks in the real world.
Yes, but: There are still no viable general-purpose humanoid robots on the market, and there are still significant technical problems with the models in development — overcoming them won’t be cheap, if it’s possible at all.