US startup reports 'major breakthrough' in robot intelligence

US-based startup 'Figure AI' has reported a 'major breakthrough' in robot intelligence after years of working in collaboration with OpenAI. Figure AI's CEO, Brett Adcock, took to X to share the recent news, and his excitement to share something in the next 30 days 'no one has ever seen on a humanoid'.

Figure AI recently received a funding round of $675 million, placing the company at a $2.6.B as they prepare to release their Figure 02 robot to the market. Figure 02 stands at 5"6 can carry 44 pounds, and work for up to 5 hours on a single charge. With a humanoid design, its hands allow it to open doors, use tools, climb stairs, lift boxes, and more.

The firm recently announced its decision to leave its agreement with OpenAI on the heels of its latest accomplishments, with Adcock citing:

"LLMs are getting smarter yet more commoditized. For us, LLMs have quickly become the smallest piece of the puzzle,"

"Figure's AI models are built entirely in-house, making external AI partnerships not just cumbersome but ultimately irrelevant to our success."

It's speculated that DeepSeek's advancements in the development of affordable AI are a key factor contributing to the decision. After all, we're starting to see firms build competitor models on budgets as low as $50.

While Adcock has yet to share more details about Figure AI's recent breakthrough, the firm announced their push to hire for 'hundreds of roles', ranging from AI engineers, legal, manufacturing and design. The firm's departure from OpenAI also signals significant confidence in their achievements - the details of which we'll hear more about in the coming weeks.