Is This How Skynet Begins? Bezos, Nvidia Join OpenAI In Funding Humanoid Robotics Firm
A startup focused on developing general-purpose humanoids has attracted investments from Jeff Bezos, Nvidia Corp., and other major tech companies in its most recent funding round amid the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence bubble.
People familiar with the investing round told Bloomberg that Figure AI - backed by OpenAI and Microsoft Corp - is raising $675 million, with a pre-money valuation of approximately $2 billion. They said Bezo's firm, Explore Investments LLC, has committed $100 million. Microsoft has committed $95 million, while Nvidia and Amazon plan $50 million each.
The funding round is not yet complete, and the amounts could change, with the possibility that the deals could still fall apart.
Figure's AI-powered robot appears very similar in design to the Terminator assassin robot in the early 1990s film "Terminator."
Recall the Terminator robot.
Let's hope this Terminator-like robot is not trained on a woke-tuned model like Gemini - now that would be a disaster for humankind.
Is it using Gemini to "think"? https://t.co/gSaTN9Os59
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 23, 2024
Watch the humanoid, called "Figure 01," make a cup of coffee. The startup posted on X:
Figure 01 has learned to make coffee.
End-to-end AI system, trained in 10 hours, just by watching humans make coffee.
Our neural networks are taking video in, trajectories out
Figure 01 has learned to make coffee ☕️
— Figure (@Figure_robot) January 7, 2024
End-to-end AI system, trained in 10 hours, just by watching humans make coffee
Our neural networks are taking video in, trajectories out
Join us to ship a fleet of AI robots: https://t.co/7fGEbRbeol pic.twitter.com/DNAZWnaqUv
According to Figure's website, developing general-purpose humanoids aims to "make a positive impact on humanity and create a better life for future generations" by "eliminating the need for unsafe and undesirable jobs — ultimately allowing us to live happier, more purposeful lives."
As we've previewed to premium subs, Goldman believes AI could trigger 300 million layoffs through this decade.
The working poor have nothing to worry about because when robots displace their jobs, governments will begin helicopter-dropping monthly stimmy checks (remember all the free money during Covid) in the form of universal basic income (socialism).