Tesla teases robot vision for Ultron-like “Optimus” despite Musk’s opposition to AI

Revealed last year at Tesla’s AI day, the Tesla Bot, or Optimus, was a janky machine that could barely move around and pick things up. Recently, Tesla have teased their focus on AI through a video displaying the Tesla Bot’s new visual prowess.

The video displays how artificial intelligence can render a physical landscape into a digital array of data. The Tesla Bot can then navigate this, while also detecting humans and moving objects. Tesla claim to be “building the foundation models for autonomous robots”, while also creating a “general purpose, bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks.”

The technology relies on many of the same principles that Tesla’s cars have been making use of, which has prompted some to wonder whether they really are ‘just a car company’. However, they’ve stated in their AI & Robotics statement that they “develop and deploy autonomy at scale in vehicles, robots, and more,” confirming that they are more than just that.

Just a month ago, Tesla showed off the increasingly mobile Optimus robots. However, it’s clear that while the foundational technologies for limb movement, joint control, manoeuvrability and strength were there, there was a lack of autonomy. However, AI is developing at an astonishing rate, and years of Tesla training data through their cars has now been collected, refined, and optimised for robots.

With vision now in the works for Optimus, how long is it until we see the bot become fully autonomous?

Strangely enough, the development of Tesla’s autonomous robot coincides with Elon Musk’s strong opposition to AI development. After signing an open letter calling for a pause of giant AI experiments, the continued development of a robot that could potentially house a super-intelligent AI doesn’t really make sense.

The development of Optimus has been met with just criticism and hopeful optimism. Some are convinced it’s an unnecessary and potentially dangerous innovation, while others are convinced it’s going to change humanity for the better. Tesla’s development of Optimus seems slightly all too familiar. We’ve all seen Avengers: Age of Ultron, and we all know how that ended. Let’s hope it turns out different in real life.

About the Author

Amaar Chowdhury

Amaar is a gaming journalist with an interest in covering the industry's corporations. Aside from that, he has a hankering interest in retro games that few people care about anymore.