Luke Lango
For years, artificial intelligence has been trapped behind screens, powering chatbots and crunching data. But the next big revolution in AI won’t just talk; it will walk, move, and work in ways very similar to us.
These creations are finally stepping out of science fiction and into reality, possibly poised to become the most disruptive AI advancement yet. From factory floors to elder care, these machines could easily reshape industries, redefine labor… maybe even challenge what it means to be human.
Everyone who’s anyone in the tech world is betting on humanoid robots being the next big AI breakthrough. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is certainly all-in on them.
His firm Tesla (TSLA) has created a humanoid robot called Optimus, which is already being used inside Tesla factories to complete a variety of tasks. The company plans to ramp Optimus production to use them in its factories worldwide. It’s said that next year, it will start selling its robots to outside companies. And after that, it aims to offer them to consumers like you and me. We could soon have our own personal humanoid robot assistant in our homes, doing everything from unloading groceries and cleaning to safeguarding our house while we’re away.
Clearly, Musk thinks humanoid robots are big business. In fact, on a Wall Street conference call just a few weeks ago, he said that he thinks “Optimus will be overwhelmingly the value of the company” with “the potential to be north of $10 trillion in revenue.”
Big Tech’s Sweeping Bullishness
Meta (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg is just as enthusiastic about a humanoid robot ‘takeover.’
He just created a new business unit within the company that is dedicated to the development of humanoid technology. Reportedly, Meta isn’t trying to create a full robot but, rather, an underlying software platform that robot-makers like Tesla can integrate into their bots.
Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) – the world’s largest company – has research teams within its own AI business that are working to develop robotics technologies. According to analysts, Apple is considering a range of robotics systems, from simple devices to complex humanoid machines, as part of a future smart home ecosystem where everything is automated.
Alphabet (GOOGL) has also been investigating robotics technology and just invested in humanoid robotics startup Apptronik.
Nvidia (NVDA) just launched a new family of foundational AI models called Cosmos, which are specifically designed to help humanoid robots navigate the real world.
OpenAI – maker of ChatGPT – is reportedly considering embarking on a humanoid endeavor. And Microsoft (MSFT) has partnered with Sanctuary AI to build general-purpose humanoid robots.
The next stage of the AI Revolution has begun.
But it’s about more than just humanoid robots unloading groceries or doing factory work. It also includes robotic driving systems – like self-driving cars.
This future may still seem many years away. But it’s already a reality in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. It will soon be a reality in parts of Texas, Georgia, Nevada, and Florida. And it may quickly become a reality all over… because in addition to all these technological developments, the regulatory backdrop of self-driving cars is changing for the better, too.
Reports have leaked that President Trump will work to ease the federal laws governing self-driving vehicles, making it much easier for companies like Aurora, Waymo, and Tesla to deploy autonomous cars across America on a massive scale.
