Unitree chief says humanoid AI's 'ChatGPT moment' arriving in 1-2 yrs

The accelerating development of artificial intelligence globally is triggering a new round of debate on whether a "ChatGPT moment" for humanoid intelligence is approaching rapidly, said the top executive of Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics.

Wang Xingxing, founder and chairman of the Hangzhou, Zhejiang province-based firm, made a fresh judgment on the "ChatGPT moment" for embodied intelligence by asserting it is arriving faster than previously thought, possibly in just a year or two.

During the opening ceremony of the 26th China International Industry Fair held between Oct 12-16 in Shanghai, Wang admitted that his biggest mistake over the past decade or so was "not believing in AI enough".

"With breakthroughs in models like GPT-6, the turning point could come within a year or two," said Wang, adding that OpenAI's GPT-7 — due out next year — might completely solve current bottlenecks in embodied intelligence.

"AI technology is advancing extremely quickly worldwide, with major updates every month or two, especially after the recent launch of GPT-6, which has greatly improved understanding across the embodied intelligence industry," Wang was quoted as saying by Shanghai Securities News.

"We are putting it on all kinds of robots to test different tasks, and the results are actually very good. Currently, our company and other robotics companies are running pilot programs in factories. For large-scale application, both generalization and efficiency still need to be further improved. But I think it's very likely that we can solve these issues in the next few years," said Wang.

The term "ChatGPT moment" followed the phrase "iPhone moment", which Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang first used in 2023 when he compared ChatGPT with the iPhone moment of AI. The phrase has since come to describe a disruptive turning point when a technology or product moves from a concept to widespread adoption, bringing major changes to an industry and user experience, especially in technology.

This assessment updates Wang's earlier view, expressed in a speech at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing in August, when he was more cautious about how soon embodied intelligence could reach such a turning point.

"Embodied intelligence could reach an industry tipping point similar to a ChatGPT moment in as little as two to three years, or perhaps five to 10 years at the slowest," said Wang on Aug 20. A day earlier, Unitree made its debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's sci-tech innovation board, or STAR Market, closing 460 percent higher.

In Wang's view, the "ChatGPT moment" for embodied intelligence can be measured by a clear benchmark: robots should be able to successfully complete about 80 percent of tasks in 80 percent of unfamiliar settings based on voice or text instructions.

Wang sees the biggest challenge as aligning the inputs and outputs of AI models with physical robots, and his company is continuing to test its robots in real-world settings. The robots have already been deployed in automobile factories, while the company's AI team is testing their capabilities in home settings. But he acknowledged that the company has not yet deployed them on a large scale because the robots still fall short in overall efficiency and versatility.

"AI, as a strategic technology leading a new round of technological and industrial transformation, will continue to drive momentum in the development of engineering and technology," said Chen Jie, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, during the opening ceremony of the 26th China International Industry Fair on Oct 12.

Chen believes there is still much to be done in learning how AI can empower engineering and technological innovation. This includes practical applications across various scenarios, original innovation and collaboration, as well as the comprehensive and deep integration of AI with engineering and technology needed for new industrialization.

wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn