The CEO of a Chinese robotics company whose stock skyrocketed 460% after going public this week said humanoid robots might still be far away from their own “ChatGPT moment.”
The 36-year-old CEO behind robotics company Unitree, Wang Xingxing, said Thursday the industry’s breakthrough, or “ChatGPT moment,” could take “2 to 3 years at the fastest, and 5 or even 10 years at the slowest,” according to a translation of a speech he gave at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, previously reported by CNBC.
Robots will only reach this point when they can be placed in an unfamiliar environment or a home and handle about 80% of tasks through voice commands or text alone, he said.
Wang’s comments reflect a shift from last year at the same conference, when he said the breakthrough moment for robotics would come within five years at the latest. His statement also seemed to conflict with the outsized enthusiasm shown by investors who skyrocketed the company’s stock 460% on Wednesday when it listed on Shanghai’s STAR Market for the first time.
Despite having been founded by Wang a decade ago, Unitree became a household name in the robotics industry overnight last year after a viral video showed the company’s humanoid robots performing a coordinated dance alongside humans during the Spring Festival Gala broadcast on China’s state TV.
