AgiBot is using AI-powered robots to do new manufacturing tasks. Smarter machines may transform physical labor in China. AgiBot, a humanoid robotics company based in Shanghai, has engineered a way for two-armed robots to learn manufacturing tasks through human training and real-world practice on a factory production line. The company says its system, which combines teleoperation and reinforcement learning, is being tested on a production line belonging to Longcheer Technology, a Chinese company that manufactures smartphones, VR headsets, and other electronic gadgets. AgiBot's project shows how more advanced AI is starting to change the abilities of industrial machines--an innovation that may creep into new areas of manufacturing in China and elsewhere.

This report presents a taxonomy and examples of potential omnicidal events resulting from AI: scenarios where all or almost all humans are killed. These events are not presented as inevitable, but as possibilities that we can work to avoid. Insofar as large institutions require a degree of public support in order to take certain actions, we hope that by presenting these possibilities in public, we can help to support preventive measures against catastrophic risks from AI.

A robotics company has advanced from a backflipping robot to a side-flipping robot. Robots aren't just efficient machines anymore, they are now agile performers that can flip and jog. Take, for instance, Unitree, a Chinese robotics company that has been making headlines with its incredible G1 humanoid robot. You might have seen it dancing alongside humans or remembered its predecessor, the H1, which stunned us with a backflip using electric motors. But now, the G1 has taken things to a whole new level.

That began to change with the partnership between the shipyard and the university. In the '90s, that relationship got a big boost when the foundation behind the Mærsk shipping company funded the creation of the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute (MMMI), a center dedicated to studying autonomous systems. The Lindø shipyard eventually wound down its robotics program, but research continued at the MMMI. Students flocked to the institute to study robotics. And it was there that three researchers had the idea for a more lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-use industrial robot arm. That idea would become a startup called Universal Robots, Odense's first big robotics success story.

AgiBot promises to reshape our understanding of robotic learning and adaptation. AgiBot, a pioneering Chinese artificial intelligence and robotics company, has introduced a transformative open-source dataset called AgiBot World Alpha. This comprehensive collection represents a significant milestone in humanoid robot training, capturing intricate data from over 100 robots across diverse real-world scenarios. By providing an unprecedented window into robotic movement and interaction, AgiBot has created a multidimensional resource that promises to reshape our understanding of robotic learning and adaptation. The AgiBot World Alpha dataset is more than a simple data collection.

The funding round is nearly ten times as much as the 70 million that this new robotics firm, Figure AI, managed to raise last May. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, through his venture firm Explore Investments LLC, pledged an optimistic 100 million to the company, with Microsoft investing nearly as much, 95 million. Figure AI hopes that its first AI humanoid robot, Figure 01, will prove capable at jobs too dangerous for human laborers and might alleviate worker shortages. For now, the humanoid machine has proven itself adept at making a cup of coffee. Figure AI hopes that its first AI humanoid robot, Figure 01, will prove capable at jobs too dangerous for human laborers and might alleviate worker shortages.

When people hear the words "social engineering," they usually think of the supposed nefarious designs of government or an opposing political party. These days, there's a general sense of social upheaval brought on by some invisible force, and we're anxious to blame someone. I can't help feeling that, to some extent, we're tilting at windmills while the real source of social engineering is in our pockets, on our laps, in a myriad of devices and soon, highly lifelike social robots for the home. The future is coming at us fast these days. In October 2023, Boston Dynamics, the robotics company that makes advanced robots that can dance better than some people, announced it had endowed Spot, its highly utilitarian doglike robot, with ChatGPT.

OpenAI is developing a humanoid robot with Norwegian robotics company, 1X. The year is 2023, and technological advancements have finally brought us into Terminator territory! At least we think so after catching wind of OpenAI's efforts to build a humanoid robot worker using artificial intelligence, according to Futurism. Though full details of the project have yet to emerge, what we do know is that OpenAI has invested in Norwegian robotics company, 1X, and the end goal is to use artificial intelligence to create bipedal robot workers. In an effort to "thoughtfully integrate emerging technology into people's daily lives," OpenAI's collaboration with 1X $23.5 million worth of funding into 1X.

While things appear to be trending in the right direction, it's going to be a long road. Besides, if you're unable to find work, positive macroeconomic trends are cold comfort. One of the nice things about having a platform like TechCrunch is the opportunity to help people in that difficult position. I work in publishing and am well aware of the pain of being laid off -- I've been through the process twice. A million strangers on LinkedIn can tell you how great you are and how none of this is any of your fault.

Forgive the scattered nature of this week's Actuator. No big, overarching monologs this week -- just a handful of things I've been thinking about lately that I'd like to get down on paper. I suppose that's one of the perks of doing a weekly newsletter-- it forces you to flesh out some bigger ideas. Point number one is failure. Ingrained in the American psyche (as I'm sure is the case with many other cultures around the world) is an inability to reckon with our mistakes.