From the South China Morning Post, August 13:
In an interview with the People’s Daily, Wang Xingxing predicts that significant progress in the sector will arrive in three to five years
The biggest obstacle to the mass deployment of robots is the lack of advanced artificial intelligence, according to Wang Xingxing, founder of China’s leading robotics company Unitree.
Robotic AI had not reached a critical threshold necessary for widespread adoption, Wang said in an interview published on Wednesday by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party. He reiterated his earlier assertion that the “ChatGPT moment” for the robotics industry had yet to arrive.
“This is a common challenge worldwide, and many people are working to overcome it,” he said. “But breakthroughs can happen at any time … issues that currently seem insurmountable could be suddenly resolved in the future.”
Wang’s remarks come as China’s robotics sector – an area also known as embodied intelligence – is gaining momentum, attracting interest from the government, various industries and the public.
Unitree garnered national attention after its humanoid robots gave a dance performance during state broadcaster China Central Television’s annual Lunar New Year’s Eve gala. Weeks later, Wang became the youngest entrepreneur to join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-profile business symposium in February.
Wang, 35, said the heightened attention was beneficial for the entire industry, adding that Unitree and other robotics businesses performed well in the first half of the year.
He expressed surprise at the rapid advancements in robotics AI. “I cannot believe robots are already engaged in boxing matches,” Wang said. “I expected it would take at least a year or two, but it happened in just a few months.”
Wang predicted significant progress within three to five years, though he cautioned that it may take longer for robots to enter households because of ethical and safety concerns.....
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