This AI startup says it's becoming less dependant on humans to train its robot - Business Insider
Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account?. Humanoid robots often require human "teleoperators" to train them by acting out mundane household tasks.
Key takeaways
Humanoid robots are moving from showcase prototypes toward industrial and consumer deployment. In November 2025 Chinese firm UBTECH delivered more than 1,000 Walker S2 units to factories, marking the first large‑scale shipment of autonomous, object‑handling droids, though the company says commercial rollout is still early. At CES 2026 Boston Dynamics introduced a new version of its Atlas robot, and the International Federation of Robotics highlighted humanoids as a top‑five trend for 2026, emphasizing the push for reliability, cycle‑time efficiency and safety standards in factories and warehouses. Hyundai announced on 22 January 2026 that it will begin installing AI‑powered Atlas humanoids at its Georgia EV plant and aims to produce 30,000 units a year by 2028, a plan that has provoked a warning from the company’s labor union about potential job losses. In Europe, Ford’s Innovation Centre in Cologne completed a proof‑of‑concept with Humanoid’s Alpha HMND 01 robot, demonstrating dual‑arm manipulation of large car parts and tote‑handling for kitting, built on NVIDIA’s Omniverse digital‑twin platform. At the Davos robotics panel, experts identified real‑world deployment and reliable environmental data as the biggest hurdles for scaling humanoids in logistics and service roles. Meanwhile, OpenAI quietly expanded a dedicated robotics lab in San Francisco, employing around 100 data collectors to teach robotic arms household tasks, and its spin‑out 1X announced a new “world‑model” AI that lets its Neo humanoid learn directly from its own video feed, reducing reliance on human tele‑operators. Across China, startups such as AgiBot and X Square Robot are piloting humanoid‑compatible solutions in intralogistics, focusing on two‑arm manipulation and hybrid wheeled‑humanoid form factors to deliver measurable economic value.
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Humanoid robots often require human "teleoperators" to train them by acting out mundane household tasks. The CEO of Tesla rival 1X told BI it was moving away from using human operators thanks to a new AI model. The startup's robot, Neo, is set to enter customer homes this year.
AI is taking another job from humans — training robots.
Tesla rival 1X launched a new AI model on Monday that the OpenAI-backed startup's CEO said would allow the company to move away from using humans to train its humanoid robot, Neo. Humanoid robot companies, including 1X, typically employ armies of human operators and data collectors to train their machines by having them perform tasks ranging from squatting to washing dishes while being recorded or wearing sensors.
1X CEO Bernt Børnich told Business Insider that his startup's new "world model" would allow Neo to learn directly from video captured by the robot itself, rather than relying on data collected by human operators.
"Essentially, the world model does the same thing as the operator would do," said Børnich, adding that he expected the update to improve Neo's ability to generalize and tackle tasks it has not encountered before.
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An OpenAI-backed humanoid robot startup says it's moving away from using humans to train its Optimus rival
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