At the Silicon Valley summit, humanoid robots take center stage, but skepticism persists

AI Boom Revives Interest in Humanoid Robots, but Challenges Remain

For years, robots were seen as a risky investment in Silicon Valley — expensive, complex and not very exciting. But the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is now reviving interest in building humanoid robots that can move and work like humans.

This renewed interest was on display at the Humanoids Summit, where more than 2,000 engineers, researchers and startup founders gathered to discuss the future of robotics. The event included experts from companies such as Disney, Google, and several emerging startups.

According to Modar Alaoui, founder of the Humanoids Summit, many researchers now believe robots with physical bodies powered by AI will eventually become common. “The real question is how long it will take,” he said.

One example showcased was Disney’s robotic Olaf, based on the Frozen character. The walking robot is expected to appear in Disneyland parks in Hong Kong and Paris next year.

Despite progress, experts say general-purpose humanoid robots — capable of working in homes or offices — are still far away. Many researchers remain skeptical about how quickly such robots can become practical and affordable.

“Humanoids have a very big hill to climb,” said Cosima du Pasquier, co-founder of Haptica Robotics. She noted that major research challenges, such as touch and dexterity, are still unsolved.

According to McKinsey, around 50 companies worldwide have raised more than $100 million each to develop humanoid robots. China leads with about 20 companies, followed by 15 in North America. China’s lead is supported by government incentives and a national goal to build a full humanoid ecosystem by 2025.

Chinese companies dominated the exhibition area at the summit. Robots made by Unitree were especially common because their relatively low cost makes them popular for research and testing.

The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini has also boosted robotics. Advances in “visual-language models” help robots better understand their surroundings and perform tasks by combining vision and language abilities.

Still, some experts remain cautious. Robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot, has argued that today’s humanoid robots will not become truly dexterous despite massive funding from tech companies and investors.

Notably absent from the event was representation from Tesla, which is developing its humanoid robot Optimus. CEO Elon Musk has said the robot could be available within three to five years.

Some robots are already being used in real workplaces. Agility Robotics recently announced that its humanoid-style robot Digit will be deployed at a Mercado Libre warehouse in Texas, where it will help move goods. These robots focus on specific tasks rather than general human abilities.

Industrial robots performing single, repetitive tasks remain far more efficient than humanoids and are widely used in manufacturing today.

Industry leaders say the future leadership in robotics is still undecided. Jeff Burnstein, head of the Association for Advancing Automation, said the US has strong AI talent but China currently has more momentum in humanoid development.

“Who leads in the end is still an open question,” he said.