China’s humanoid robot industry edges toward ‘ChatGPT moment’ Unitree CEO says

Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing stated that the humanoid robot industry is approaching a "ChatGPT moment" for robot brains, where robots could perform 80% of tasks in unfamiliar environments via voice or text commands. This follows Unitree's significant Shanghai listing, highlighting China's ambition in AI-powered machines. While Unitree's shares saw an initial surge, they later fell, reflecting investor enthusiasm and Beijing's strong backing for the sector. Wang cautioned that a major leap in robot software is still 2-10 years away, and current humanoids are not yet ready for mass deployment due to AI model limitations. Despite this, China, which accounts for 97% of global humanoid robot shipments, views robots as a solution to its shrinking workforce, though they currently remain less efficient than human labor. The sector is also a new front in the US-China tech rivalry, with the US recently banning imports of foreign-made humanoid robots.