OpenAI is building a humanoid robot, but the body isn't the real challenge
· Hardware
OpenAI is building a humanoid robot, targeting a 2027 demo with focus on AI cognition over hardware design.
OpenAI plans to build a humanoid robot, with a 2027 demo target and focus on AI cognition.
OpenAI is developing a humanoid robot, with CEO Sam Altman confirming the company will build one. On the Sources podcast, Altman explained the humanoid form is logical because the world is designed for people — doors, keyboards, and tools all match human proportions, making a similar body shape advantageous for operating in human spaces.
However, Altman downplayed the importance of hardware design itself, emphasizing instead that developing the robot's 'brain' is the real engineering challenge. A capable humanoid must understand what its sensors see, interpret instructions, decide how to execute them, coordinate its body, and self-correct when reality intervenes — like estimating grip force when picking up a mug.
OpenAI's timeline is measured: Altman told Fortune the company expects a cool demo in 2027 but doesn't anticipate robots walking streets for several years longer. The company hasn't disclosed what the demo will showcase, what the robot will look like, or when outsiders will encounter one.
To solve these challenges, OpenAI is recruiting heavily for robotics roles including motion control, state estimation, actuator control, whole-robot behavior, and machine-learning infrastructure for training physical AI systems. The company is also developing custom electromechanical actuators including motors, transmissions, sensing, and thermal systems.
OpenAI's robotics objectives span near and long term: short-term goals target general-purpose robots assisting skilled workers in infrastructure building, while long-term ambitions aim at personal robots handling diverse household tasks. The company currently lists 27 robotics openings.
OpenAI is building a humanoid robot with a planned 2027 demo, viewing AI cognition as the primary engineering challenge.
Source: Engadget
More AI news
- Disney Asked Character.AI to Go Bankrupt for a Get-Out-of-Lawsuits Card
- AI researchers stranded Claude on a virtual desert island. It started to “play.”
- OnlyFans Creators Are Pissed That Meta Lets Muse Talk Dirty
- Anthropic gives third-party auditors ’employee-like access’ in AI industry first
- Why AI Isn’t Ready to Tackle Our Convoluted Genomes
- CoreWeave credit default swaps hit distress levels as investors sour on AI debt
`;
}
function imgFallback(el) {
if (!el.dataset.fb) { el.dataset.fb = '1'; el.removeAttribute('srcset'); el.src = el.dataset.full; }
else { el.style.visibility = 'hidden'; }
}
function formatDate(iso) {
if (!iso) return '';
return new Date(iso).toLocaleDateString('en-US', { month: 'long', day: 'numeric', year: 'numeric' });
}
function handleSubscribe(e) {
e.preventDefault();
const email = document.getElementById('inline-email').value;
e.target.reset();
goSubscribe(email, 'article');
}
// One step: the email typed on the page goes straight to Beehiiv's confirm page (no second form).
function goSubscribe(email, source) {
window.__subSource = source;
const url = 'https://magic.beehiiv.com/v1/eb0b9508-1ffd-4fb1-a63c-e762fa86569c?email=' + encodeURIComponent(email)
+ '&utm_source=aifeed.run&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=' + encodeURIComponent(source || 'site');
// Same tab (no popup: in-app browsers like Instagram's prompt on new windows); Beehiiv sends the visitor to our thanks page after the one tap.
window.location.href = url + '&redirect_to=' + encodeURIComponent('https://aifeed.run/subscribe/thanks/'); return;
try { w.opener = null; } catch (err) {}
document.getElementById('sub-email-field').value = email;
document.getElementById('sub-form-state').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('sub-success-state').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('sub-overlay').style.display = 'flex';
document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden';
}
function openSubOverlay(email) {
document.getElementById('sub-email-field').value = email;
document.getElementById('sub-form-state').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('sub-success-state').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('sub-btn').textContent = 'Subscribe — It\'s Free →';
document.getElementById('sub-btn').disabled = false;
document.getElementById('sub-overlay').style.display = 'flex';
document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden';
}
const BEEHIIV_SUBSCRIBE_URL = 'https://magic.beehiiv.com/v1/eb0b9508-1ffd-4fb1-a63c-e762fa86569c'; // Beehiiv public Magic Link for AIFeed.run (pub_eb0b9508-…), no API key
async function submitSubscribe(e) {
e.preventDefault();
const email = document.getElementById('sub-email-field').value;
const btn = document.getElementById('sub-btn');
btn.textContent = 'Opening signup...';
btn.disabled = true;
// Opens Beehiiv's one-click confirm page for this email ("You'll be subscribed with …"). No secret client-side.
const bhUrl = BEEHIIV_SUBSCRIBE_URL + '?email=' + encodeURIComponent(email)
+ '&utm_source=aifeed.run&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=' + encodeURIComponent(window.__subSource || 'site');
// Same tab (no popup: in-app browsers like Instagram's prompt on new windows); Beehiiv sends the visitor to our thanks page after the one tap.
window.location.href = bhUrl + '&redirect_to=' + encodeURIComponent('https://aifeed.run/subscribe/thanks/'); return;
try { w.opener = null; } catch (err) {}
document.getElementById('sub-form-state').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('sub-success-state').style.display = 'block';
}
function closeSubOverlay(e) {
if (e && e.target && e.target.id !== 'sub-overlay' && e.target.id !== 'sub-close-btn') return;
document.getElementById('sub-overlay').style.display = 'none';
document.body.style.overflow = '';
}
function copyLink() {
navigator.clipboard.writeText(window.location.href).then(() => {
const t = document.getElementById('toast');
t.textContent = '🔗 Link copied!';
t.classList.add('show');
setTimeout(() => t.classList.remove('show'), 2500);
});
}
function showToast() {
const t = document.getElementById('toast');
t.textContent = '🎉 You\'re subscribed! Welcome to the feed.';
t.classList.add('show');
setTimeout(() => t.classList.remove('show'), 3500);
}
function getDemoPosts() {
return [
{
id: 'demo-1', slug: 'apple-building-ai-glasses-beat-meta',
headline: 'Apple Is Building AI Glasses To Beat Meta',
summary: 'No screen. Just AI, cameras, and Siri. 4 designs. Premium acetate. Ships 2027.',
body: '