OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research organization headquartered in San Francisco, USA, has been constantly in the news for the past few years. Will we see the internet’s much-loved ChatGPT in 2022, a whole investor conference and CEO Sam Altman drama in 2023, or maybe we’ll be back in the humanoid robot space now? Will there be news that it won’t happen? I say “resurrection” because OpenAI has long had a dedicated robotics team, but it had to shut down three years ago due to “insufficient training data,” said the company’s co-founder. said Wojciech Zaremba, a member of the Board of Directors. The team revealed this in a podcast interview at the time. In an interesting development, on December 24 of last year, US-based technology/business publication The Information reported that OpenAI was developing humanoid robots, citing “two people with direct knowledge” of the matter. We reported that we are considering building one.
Humanoid robots have physical characteristics similar to humans, with skeletal structures such as arms, legs, and heads, and are trained to perform tasks similar to humans, ranging from simple to highly complex. I am.
In the meantime
With OpenAI back on the scene, we may be looking at some exciting developments in the future. But the company never strayed too far from the robotics field. Even after shutting down its robotics division, OpenAI appears to be literally investing in this space. In February this year, the OpenAI Startup Fund, along with Microsoft, Bezos Expeditions, Parkway Venture Capital, ARK Invest, Intel Capital, Nvidia, and Align Ventures, announced a US-based startup that aims to “offer general services”. We have invested in Figure AI, a startup that puts Aimed at humanoid lifeforms. ”
Peter Wellinder, OpenAI’s vice president of products and partnerships, told the media: “We’ve always planned to return to robotics, leveraging sophisticated multimodal models to explore what humanoid robots can do. I see a path forward in using figures to explore what can be achieved.”
The company also invested in 1X Technologies, “an AI robotics company that manufactures humanoids capable of human-like movements and actions,” according to its website, to help integrate GPT AI models with robotic systems. In November of this year, OpenAI invested in another AI and robotics-focused startup called Physical Intelligence.
Not only that, OpenAI is also reportedly looking to hire someone specializing in robotics in early 2024, suggesting it may be looking to rebuild its OG team. Ta.
endless possibilities
Recently, humanoid robots have been employed to test AI capabilities in workplaces, warehouses, and other physical spaces. At the moment, the leading companies in the humanoid robot space are Boston Dynamics, Tesla Optimus, Sanctuary AI, Xiaomi’s CyberOne, and Agility Robotics. , among others.
With OpenAI re-entering the field, the possibilities are endless for what future developments could look like. However, it’s worth noting that The Information’s report doesn’t conclusively say whether robotics is a high priority issue for OpenAI.
Nevertheless, the company’s recent announcements, such as the o3 AI model, have enabled developers to perform complex tasks, respond to humans, initiate problem-solving, and perform a variety of tasks given the company’s latest AI. We could be on our way to creating robots that can be introduced into industry. The model is developed with advanced inference capabilities. In the future, these robots could revolutionize industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and even nursing care (as they become more adaptable and more accessible).