Elon Musk, the renowned tech entrepreneur, displayed his characteristic confidence in response to an announcement about a collaboration between Figure AI and OpenAI, despite their position as competitors.
Musk responded with a spirited “Bring it on” to Brett Adcock’s announcement of a collaboration between Figure AI and OpenAI to develop AI-powered machines. This statement, made through a social media post, implicitly acknowledges the rivalry between his own AI ambitions and those of Figure and OpenAI. Musk’s tech startup xAI, which introduced the AI chatbot Grok last November, reflects his ongoing efforts in the AI domain.
Interestingly, Musk is concurrently working on developing a humanoid robot named Optimus at Tesla, which was showcased as a prototype during Tesla’s AI Day in 2022. Despite not being launched yet, Musk has been sharing updates on its development progress. However, Musk’s relationship with OpenAI, Figure AI’s primary backer, has been strained, evident from his recent lawsuit against OpenAI and its founder, Sam Altman. Musk’s legal action alleges contractual breaches and a deviation from OpenAI’s original nonprofit mission due to its partnership with Microsoft.
Apart from OpenAI, Figure AI has garnered support from major players like Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Jeff Bezos’ family office, Bezos Expeditions. Adcock, a co-founder of Figure AI, highlighted the potential applications of their robots in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail sectors. A video shared by Adcock showcased one of their human-like machines operating a coffee maker, demonstrating their capabilities.
In contrast, Tesla’s Optimus is also designed for similar purposes, particularly focusing on tasks deemed “unsafe, repetitive, or boring.” This suggests overlapping goals between Figure AI’s machines and Tesla’s humanoid robot, reflecting the competitive landscape in the burgeoning field of AI-powered robotics.
