OpenAI Announces Collaboration with Robotics Startup 'Figure'

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Open AI and Robotics Startup 'Figure'

OpenAI, known for creating ChatGPT, has recently announced a collaboration with the robotics startup Figure, based in Sunnyvale, California. This partnership, revealed on Thursday, is backed by an impressive $675 million in venture capital from notable investors including Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, Nvidia, and the startup-investment branches of Intel and OpenAI itself. Despite being a relatively new player in the field with less than two years of existence and no commercial products to its name, Figure has managed to attract significant support for its ambitious goal to distribute billions of humanoid robots across global workplaces and homes.


Deploy Humanoid Robots

Figure's CEO, Brett Adcock, shared with The Associated Press his vision of deploying humanoid robots to perform tasks that humans are either unwilling or unable to do, potentially selling millions or even billions of units. The partnership with OpenAI is set to enhance Figure's robotics with specialized AI models, incorporating technologies like GPT language models, DALL-E image generator, and the new video generator Sora. This integration aims to expedite Figure's commercial endeavors by empowering their robots with advanced language processing and reasoning abilities. 


Agreement with BMW

An example of this collaboration's potential was highlighted in January when Figure announced an agreement to deploy its robots in a BMW car plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, though the specifics of their application remain under development.


Humanoid Robots Might Not Be Practical

The concept of humanoid robots, however, is met with skepticism by some experts in the robotics field, who argue that most practical robots employed today possess animal-like features (such as arms or grippers) rather than a fully human form, mainly due to the longstanding challenges of replicating human-like walking and object manipulation. Whitney Rockley of McRock Capital, a Toronto-based venture capital firm, expresses a preference for investing in non-humanoid robots, citing the significant technical and practical challenges that humanoid robots pose.


OpenAI Plans a Future Shift to Robotics

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman has shown a revived interest in robotics, mentioning in a podcast with Microsoft's Bill Gates that OpenAI had previously paused its robotics research due to early technical difficulties. Altman suggested that the focus initially should be on developing intelligence and cognition before tackling physical applications, indicating a strategic shift in OpenAI's approach to robotics. This partnership with Figure represents a significant step towards integrating artificial intelligence with robotic hardware, aiming to bring futuristic visions of humanoid robots assisting in daily tasks closer to reality.




Source:  Humanoid robot-maker Figure partners with OpenAI and gets backing from Jeff Bezos and tech giants (Denver Post)

Image: belkacem hassani from Pixabay

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