After making significant investments in artificial intelligence and augmented reality, Meta is now turning its attention to the next important track—AI-driven humanoid robots.
On Friday, Bloomberg cited sources familiar with the matter stating that Meta is establishing a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division, focusing on the research and development of AI humanoid robots. The team will be led by Marc Whitten, who plans to hire about 100 engineers this year. Whitten previously served as the CEO of Cruise, the autonomous vehicle division of General Motors. He has also held executive positions at gaming company Unity Software and Amazon.
This strategic move by Meta reflects the tech giant's optimism about the humanoid robot market. Similar exploratory projects are also underway at companies like Apple and Alphabet's Google DeepMind.
Meta's humanoid robot initiative will initially focus on the household assistant sector, aiming to develop intelligent robots capable of performing daily household tasks. However, the company's long-term goal is more ambitious: to create a complete ecosystem that includes AI, sensors, and software.
Currently, Meta has begun discussions with robotics companies, including Unitree Robotics and Figure AI, to explore potential collaborations. Notably, Meta does not plan to launch its own branded robots at this time, meaning the company will not directly compete with products like Tesla's Optimus for the moment. However, Meta has left open the possibility of launching its own branded robots in the future.
On Friday, Meta's stock price rose about 1.4% during intraday trading.
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Meta's next major bet: recruiting talent, planning a large-scale layout in AI humanoid robots