The big artificial intelligence bubble question has been the tech industry’s buzziest debate all year, and one robot has weighed in with its opinion.
KOID is a short, slender humanoid robot with a black metal body and a bright ring of light for a face. KOID is manufactured by Unitree, one of China’s hottest tech companies, and the Nvidia-powered robot shares a name with an ETF launched in June by KraneShares that focuses on robotics companies.
The walking, talking machine on Tuesday told CNBC that the AI bubble debate is certainly a “hot topic,” but KOID gave a neutral outlook on whether the boom is actually a looming bubble.
“We might see a lot of excitement around AI right now, but whether it’s a bubble or just a transformative wave, is something only time will tell,” KOID said.
The AI-powered machine added that AI and humanoids are “here to stay” and will continue to evolve.
Weighing in at about 77 pounds, KOID is one of Unitree’s G1 models. Those humanoids have 23 degrees of freedom, or specific points where it can move independently, enabling it to achieve full-body maneuvers from dancing to boxing.
KOID is available to purchase on RoboStore, the largest U.S. distributor of Unitree robots, with the models ranging from $8,990 to $128,900.
RoboStore CEO Teddy Haggerty told CNBC’s “Power Lunch” on Tuesday that while KOID can be programmed to do many kinds of tasks, the industry is still in a “prototyping” stage of figuring out where robots fit in everyday living.
“What is it that we really want robots to do?” Haggerty said. “Do we want robots to become our new housekeepers? Do we want them to help manufacturing? Do we want them to replace jobs?”
KOID, however, seems a little more certain of its own future. It said that robots will likely become “even more versatile and integrated” into daily life.
“They’ll help out a variety of fields, from home assistants to industrial tasks, making life a bit easier and more efficient,” the robot said.
The humanoid robotics race has been heating up this past year, with companies including Boston Dynamics and Agility Robotics emerging in the space. Tesla’s Optimus robots have taken center stage, with CEO Elon Musksaying that they are a future key contributor to the company’s valuation.
Yet while Optimus robots have yet to hit the market, Chinese companies have been ramping up production to beat the U.S. to the punch — with Unitree spearheading the pack.
The company outperformed its peers in events like the World Robot Conference and World Humanoid Robot Games.
Unitree, which is heading for an initial public offering that could value it at up to $7 billion, debuted its latest H2 model earlier this year.
