OpenAI is said to be planning to build a humanoid robot

As we have learned from OpenAI employees, the manufacturer of ChatGPT is once again thinking about developing a humanoid robot. There are no details about the supposed project. Market launch and intended use remain unclear for the time being.

OpenAI invests in robotics startups

However, there are a few, albeit few, startups that are working on the design of humanoid robots. The goals so far have been on two main use cases.

The first is to deploy robots in warehouses, where they are expected to perform tasks such as moving goods from one part of a facility to another. The other use case aims to help consumers complete household chores.

OpenAI has already invested in several companies building robots for these use cases. Just last February, the ChatGPT developer backed a $625 million funding round for Figure AI Inc. at a $2.6 billion valuation.

OpenAI supports competing companies

The startup’s latest humanoid robot is called Figure 02 and already uses artificial intelligence models developed with OpenAI. These help the machine process voice commands from warehouse workers. At the beginning of the year, the German automobile manufacturer BMW tested the Figure 02 in one of its automobile factories, where it used the machine to move metal parts.

OpenAI is also invested in 1X, a Norwegian-based competitor to Figure. The company has developed a humanoid robot called EVE. EVE moves on two wheels at a speed of up to 15.6 kilometers per hour. The company is currently working on a second consumer-oriented machine that is slower but can perform a wider range of tasks.

For OpenAI, working with a startup like 1X or Figure to develop a humanoid robot should be faster than developing everything from scratch yourself. In this respect, the ChatGPT developer’s investments make perfect sense. Alternatively, OpenAI could use some of its newly raised $6.6 billion from its latest funding round to purchase an existing market participant.

OpenAI has experience with robotics

Robotics is not new territory for OpenAI. Until 2021, the AI ​​company had operated its own department dedicated to developing AI models for autonomous machines. The department had already achieved several research milestones before it was closed.

In one project, OpenAI researchers trained a robot arm to solve the so-called Rubik’s Cube. The company also open sourced Roboschool, a collection of simulation tools that can be used to train AI modules of robots. Some of these simulations are aimed at developing humanoid robots.

As is repeatedly reported, OpenAI is striving to develop tailor-made AI chips. According to Reuters, the company is working with Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) to develop its own inference processor.