It appears Tesla’s humanoid robot program may have a working prototype by the end of September.
Elon Musk had announced there would be a second Tesla “AI Day” on August 19th, that will feature, “many cool updates” On Tesla’s new projects.
Last year’s AI Day examined Tesla’s autopilot self-driving program. However at the event, Tesla also announced the new Tesla Optimus humanoid robot.
Now Elon Musk has announced the second Tesla AI Day is being postponed until September 30th, with Musk adding, “we may have an Optimus prototype working by then.”
Musk, during an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, said the company is “tracking,” toward a working prototype. He added, “Well, I hope that we will have an interesting prototype to show people.”
He added, “We have a very talented team at Tesla that I’m working with closely to have a prototype humanoid robot ready by the end of September. And I think we are tracking to that point.”
He also indicated there would be other new Tesla technologies featured at the event that would show Tesla is a “real-world AI company.”
He went on, “We have these sort of AI Day events to just emphasize that Tesla is a lot more than a car company and that we are, in my view, the leading real-world AI company that exists.”
Musk has said in previous interviews that the bot will likely begin production in 2023 and will be able to perform simple jobs for humans like picking up groceries. He predicted they would be more important than the electric vehicle business.
He also said they were being designed so humans could over power them, and they would never be a threat because their control would be decentralized. However he also called for some sort of agency to oversee AI development so it could be controlled and directed to help people, and be prevented from becoming a threat. He also predicted Tesla’s humanoid robots would be adaptable, as they functioned as companions and fellow workers, adding, “It could develop a personality over time that is unique. It’s not like all the robots are the same. That personality could evolve to match the owner, or whatever you want to call it.”
It is expected Musk will also supply updates at the event on Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer, as well as a general update on the companies self-driving AI program.