Elon Musk has revealed Tesla’s eerily humanoid robots just one year after he warned that AI is a ‘threat to humanity’.
Yesterday’s ‘We, Robot’ event unveiled the new Cybercab, a driverless car that has no steering wheel or pedals.
It’s hoped that the vehicle will also run as a taxi-service when the owner isn’t using it.
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Towards the end of the event, the billionaire surprised fans by showcasing dancing robots.
The Tesla Optimus Gen 2, which is also known as the Tesla Bot, was first announced in 2021 and a prototype was displayed in 2022.
The mogul announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he plans to have ‘genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026’.
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Low production would start at just over a thousand, with the potential of a few thousand to begin with but Musk predicts that there will soon be around 20 billion humanoid robots working in companies and homes.
However, just last year Musk warned about the dangers posed by AI, calling it a ‘risk’.
This was during a safety summit in the UK in 2023, where he told Sky News that AI was a ‘threat to humanity’.
Earlier in the year, he also warned that it could even lead to ‘civilization destruction’.
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However, despite being vocal about his concerns in the past, it looks like AI robots could very much be part of our future.
Musk’s plans for the Tesla Bot are based on the idea that every person in the world will need at least two robots and more will be required for manufacturing work.
If that isn’t terrifying enough, there are currently two humanoid Tesla robots already working in a factory where they are able to perform tasks autonomously.
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Who knows where the future of the Tesla Bots will go but so far the plan is that they will perform useful but unskilled tasks.
Optimus is able to recognize real-world objects thanks to Tesla's incorporation of the same technology that's in its electric vehicle Autopilot feature.
Musk imagines that the robot could be a useful companion for everyday owners in their home, helping the family with tasks and errands such as fixing the car or helping to get groceries from the shop.
Of course, if you want a Tesla robot for yourself, it’ll come at a hefty price. While the official cost is not yet known, it’s estimated that they will be priced at around $20,000.