Apple and Meta are reportedly both working on Tesla bot-like AI-powered humanoid robots

In the midst of their ongoing rivalry in the mixed reality headset market, Apple and Meta are said to be preparing for a confrontation in a different domain: AI humanoids. As per analyst Mark Gurman, both firms are developing their own humanoid robots powered by AI. It has been reported that Meta has established an entirely new department within its Reality Labs hardware division to work on its AI humanoid robot. In contrast, Apple seems to have adopted a somewhat distinct strategy for this, with its humanoid robot being created by its machine learning team.

These humanoid AI robots will be capable of completing everyday activities such as folding a t-shirt, dancing, or boiling an egg. This instantly brings to mind the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot. Nevertheless, Gurman explicitly and uniquely contrasts Apple’s humanoid initiative with the Tesla bot.

Meta, as stated in the report, aims to create a software platform that hardware developers can utilize to engage in the AI humanoid market. The company, guided by Mark Zuckerberg, is confident that its knowledge in mixed reality sensors, computing, and the Llama AI model will provide a competitive advantage. The report indicates that Meta has begun talks regarding the creation of these humanoid robots and is collaborating with China’s Unitary Robotics and Figure AI for the project. Figure AI is thought to be a direct competitor to Tesla as well. At the same time, Apple is said to be developing its own humanoid robot, intended to demonstrate its AI features and seamlessly integrated technology. This initiative is being created by Apple’s cutting-edge AI research teams.

Nonetheless, Meta and Apple are not the sole companies wagering heavily on AI humanoid robots. It seems that Google’s DeepMind is also investigating robotics. Last week, Apptronik, located in Texas, revealed that it secured an investment of $350 million, with participation from Google as an investor. Apptronik is regarded as a rival to Tesla, and the firm has been focusing on implementing humanoid robots across various sectors. AI humanoid robots are capable of transforming sectors such as healthcare, education, and helping people with daily household activities.

During the We, Robot event in October 2024, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk announced that AI humanoid robots will soon coexist with humans and will integrate into families. Certainly, he was specifically referring to the Tesla bots. Musk also has an estimation of the cost for a humanoid robot, particularly the Optimus bot. He believes it will fall between $20,000 and $30,000. Nonetheless, he is sure that the humanoid robot will become the “most important product” ever developed.