Humanoid Robots Remain Years Away From Replacing Human Workers

Modern artificial intelligence-powered humanoid robots are impressive but remain years from replacing humans because they cannot yet adapt to changing conditions. Last month, AI robotics company Figure showcased its humanoid robots performing basic tasks such as cleaning a room, and a group of its robots working for nine days straight sorting packages sparked discussion about job replacement.

Oliver Obst, an associate professor of robotics at the University of New South Wales, said repetitive jobs such as physical work in structured environments are currently most at risk, while administrative and document-processing tasks could be replaced by AI. He said humanoid robots are unlikely to see a mass rollout soon because they do not appear more efficient or less error-prone than current robotic manufacturing methods, citing problems with "reliability, speed, safety, cost, and recovery from unexpected situations." "I would not say we are at the point of mass replacement by humanoid robots.

Australia, New South Wales

humanoid robots, figure, ai robotics, package sorting, cleaning tasks, repetitive jobs, administrative tasks, manufacturing methods, reliability issues, safety concerns