OpenAI and its Robotics Team

Will OpenAI acquire Figure, or do anything significant for the future or robots?

Hello Everyone,

We know that OpenAI is working with Figure AI to help their humanoid general purpose robots become more capable and easy to communicate with. But OpenAI is also hiring robotics talent and research engineers.

Everyone from Nvidia to Amazon are getting even more into robotics. When Figure AI got money from Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI, it felt like one of those Sam Altman conflicts of interest, yet again.

Meanwhile, Amazon has done major pilots with robotics startups many of which continue to this day. So OpenAI has been thinking about the intersection of Generative AI and robotics, at least since 2017, that’s seven years ago! OpenAI whose CEO wants to get into everything from AI chips to the Nuclear fusion behind the AI datacenters of the future.

Sam Altman has roughly $2.8 Billion in investments, in over 400 companies, many of whom do business with OpenAI. It’s not exactly a great business situation for conflict of interest for OpenAI. Sam brings a whole new meaning to Venture Capitalists pulling the strings, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.

But can OpenAI actually do great work with robots and AI?

In the race for AI supremacy, humanoid general purpose robots that are smart and can communicate with also be part of the race between the U.S. and China.