The creator of robots, Figure, has exited a collaboration agreement with OpenAI following a “significant breakthrough” in developing artificial intelligence for humanoids. This was announced by the startup’s founder and CEO, Brett Adcock.
Today, I made the decision to leave our Collaboration Agreement with OpenAI
Figure made a major breakthrough on fully end-to-end robot AI, built entirely in-house
We’re excited to show you in the next 30 days something no one has ever seen on a humanoid
— Brett Adcock (@adcock_brett) February 4, 2025
The AI was developed entirely in-house by the company. Its head promised to present “something no one has ever seen on a humanoid” within 30 days.
In February 2024, the startup secured $675 million from Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, Nvidia, and several other investors. At that time, the company partnered with OpenAI to “develop next-generation AI models focused on humanoids.”
In March, the firm showcased the first result of the collaboration.
Adcock cited the lack of OpenAI’s focus on integrating AI into physical objects as the reason for the split.
“We concluded that to scale artificial intelligence in the real world, it is necessary to vertically integrate AI into robots. We cannot outsource AI for the same reason we cannot outsource our hardware,” he noted.
In June, Figure introduced a new generation of humanoid robot — Figure 02. Meanwhile, OpenAI is independently working on creating a bot, according to media reports.
Additionally, ChatGPT developer CEO Sam Altman plans to visit the UAE to discuss fundraising with the investment group MGX. The company aims to raise $40 billion at a valuation of $340 billion.
Earlier, it was revealed that MGX intends to invest $7 billion in Donald Trump’s announced Stargate project, which plans to invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure over four years.
In February, SoftBank partnered with OpenAI to create a joint venture in Japan and provide AI services to corporate clients.