Meta enters humanoid robotics race, eyes AI-powered consumer robots

Meta Platforms is setting up a new division within its Reality Labs unit to work on AI-powered humanoid robots designed for physical tasks, news agency Reuters reported, citing an internal company memo on Friday. Facebook's parent company is stepping into humanoid robotics, competing with firms like Nvidia-backed Figure AI and Tesla. Advances in AI models continue to drive innovation in robotics and automation.

According to the memo, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said that the robotics product group would focus on developing “consumer humanoid robots with a goal of maximising Llama's platform capabilities.”

Llama refers to Meta’s primary series of AI foundation models, which support a range of generative AI tools across the company's social media platforms. “We believe expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs,” Bosworth said.