OpenAI’s GPT-6 may lead to robotics breakthrough as soon as next year: Unitree founder

Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics believes that OpenAI's recently released GPT-6 model could lead to a breakthrough in the robotics industry as soon as next year. Unitree's founder and CEO, Wang Xingxing, made the comments at an industry event in Shanghai. He said that the release of GPT-6 may lead to a breakthrough in "embodied intelligence" within one or two years.

Wang previously estimated that the industry could reach its "ChatGPT moment" – a critical threshold of technological maturity where robots can complete 80% of tasks in 80% of unfamiliar environments using voice or text commands – within two to three years, or as long as a decade. However, he believes that the release of GPT-6 could accelerate this timeline.

Unitree has tested GPT-6 on its own robots and reported "good results". Wang said that the release of the new model has "shaken up" the whole embodied intelligence industry. He acknowledged that he made a mistake in the past decade by not believing in AI enough.

As the head of China's leading humanoid robot maker, Wang's comments are closely watched by investors and analysts as a barometer of the domestic robotics industry. While Unitree has made impressive strides with physical hardware, including setting several speed records at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, the company's robots still lack autonomy and true "intelligence".

Unitree is increasing investment in developing the "brains" of its robots. The company plans to allocate around half of the proceeds from its recent initial public offering to research and development on robotic models. Wang said that Unitree is currently conducting trials in factories, though the efficiency and ability of its robots still need further improvement.