OpenAI’s recent wave of hires demonstrates the Microsoft-backed (NASDAQ:MSFT) creator of ChatGPT appears to be pursuing ways to utilize its artificial intelligence expertise to further advance the utilization of humanoid robots, according to Wired.
The Sam Altman-led company has recruited an array of researchers focused on developing AI applications for controlling robots. The startup is particularly focused on humanoid or partially humanoid robots, the report said, citing people familiar with the effort. The company is also training AI models capable of powering bots that can navigate the physical world.
OpenAI has also posted multiple job listings searching for robotic engineers. One recent hire includes Chengshu Li, who joined OpenAI this summer from Stanford University. His research involved the development of robots capable of completing a number of household chores.
OpenAI posted its first robotics engineer roles focused on hardware earlier this year. These included an EE Sensing Engineer, a Robotics Mechanical Design Engineer and a TPM Manager.
Altman laid out his ultimate vision for robots, artificial general intelligence and society in a June blog post.
“If we have to make the first million humanoid robots the old-fashioned way, but then they can operate the entire supply chain—digging and refining minerals, driving trucks, running factories, etc.—to build more robots, which can build more chip fabrication facilities, data centers, etc, then the rate of progress will obviously be quite different,” Altman said.