Meta is making a bold move into humanoid robotics, as revealed in an internal company memo. The tech giant plans to create a new division under its Reality Labs unit, focused on developing AI-powered humanoid robots that can assist with everyday physical tasks. The initiative will leverage Meta’s AI foundation models, known as Llama, and is designed to strengthen the company’s mixed and augmented reality projects.
Despite billions of dollars in investments from major companies in AI-driven humanoid robots for manufacturing, logistics, and home use, progress in this field has been slow. Experts argue that breakthroughs in language-related AI, which have helped develop chatbots, have not been as effective in helping robots understand the physical world.
The memo, written by Meta’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, highlights the company’s continued commitment to Reality Labs, which has suffered significant financial losses. Last year, the unit reported a loss of about $5 billion in Q4. Meta’s focus has been on embodied AI, which aims to create AI assistants that can perceive and navigate the 3D physical world. Yann LeCun, the company’s chief AI scientist, has emphasized the need for models that can better understand physical spaces, in contrast to traditional language models.
As part of the effort to expand its expertise, Meta plans to develop retail locations, similar to its Meta Lab store in Los Angeles, where consumers can experience the company’s products. However, retail partners will remain the primary source of hardware sales.
Marc Whitten, formerly CEO of Cruise, a self-driving car company, has been appointed Vice President of Robotics to lead this new division. John Koryl, former CEO of The RealReal, will oversee retail efforts, helping to expand direct-to-consumer sales of products like Meta’s Quest mixed reality headsets and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
Meta also plans to develop its own humanoid robot hardware, focusing on tasks around the home. In addition, the company is working on AI, sensors, and software to power robots made by other companies. Although Meta is in talks with robotics firms such as Unitree Robotics and Figure AI, it is not planning to release a branded robot anytime soon.
The move places Meta in direct competition with Tesla, which has been developing its own humanoid robot, Optimus. Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, recently announced that Optimus will be capable of performing everyday tasks, with prototypes expected to be deployed in Tesla’s factories by late 2025. Production units will be available by 2026, with Tesla predicting significant profitability from robots priced around $20,000 each. Musk envisions a global market for one billion robots annually, with Tesla aiming to capture 10% of that market.
As Meta and Tesla race to bring humanoid robots into the consumer market, it will be interesting to see who gains the upper hand in this emerging and competitive field.
