Elon Musk has showcased Tesla’s latest creation, the Optimus robot, at a highly anticipated event dubbed “We, Robots”.
Viral videos from the launch captured Optimus robots serving drinks, dancing, and interacting with attendees.
Musk claims that these humanoid robots will eventually serve as in-house assistants capable of tasks like dog-walking, babysitting, and even teaching children.
Why did Musk roll this out publicly now?
On today’s episode of The Briefing, we are joined by tech journalist James Hennessy to unpack how these robots work and when they’ll be hitting the market.
Hennessy says the Optimus robots are more mobile and articulated than other robots people have seen in the past.
Moreover, Musk’s past claims about technological advancements often raise eyebrows. While he recently celebrated SpaceX’s successful rocket docking, many wonder if the same optimism applies to the Optimus robots.
“These robots are far from functioning as household helpers at this stage,” Hennessy said.
When discussing whether these robots were speaking autonomously, Hennessy noted that some level of human assistance was involved.
“These are showing some relatively credible voice control technology, allowing for conversations that resemble human interaction with these AI systems,” Hennessy added.
“But in this case, from the clips that have been shared and from some details from people who were there at the presentation, it seems pretty unlikely that people were actually talking to an AI system.”
As we move closer to a future dominated by AI and robotics, would you trust Musk’s Optimus robots to look after your children and handle your household tasks?
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on LiSTNR today. The Briefing serves up the latest news and deep dives on topics affecting you, all in under 20 minutes.