🕵🏻‍♂️Are Tesla’s Robots Really AI? Find Out!

Tesla’s optimus wows, but is it really AI?

Key Points 

• Optimus drew significant attention at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event, moving around and engaging with attendees in real time.

• However, the robots were not truly autonomous; they were operated remotely by humans in specialized suits.

🤖News - At Tesla’s “We, Robot” event last week, Optimus, their humanoid robot, quickly became the highlight.

Attendees at the Warner Bros. studio lot were impressed as several of these robots moved freely through the crowd, completely untethered. Just two years ago, these robots struggled to even get onto a stage independently. Now, they were chatting with people, playing rock-paper-scissors, and even pouring drinks, finishing with a peace sign from their metallic hand.

Musk wanted the audience to see the upgraded robot in action for themselves, instead of just showing pre-recorded videos from Tesla’s facilities. On stage, he predicted, "This will be the biggest product ever—of any kind."

😳Behind the curtain - While the crowd was impressed by the technological showcase, there was one big catch: the robots weren’t actually using real AI. Instead, they were being controlled remotely by humans wearing special suits that translated their movements to the robots.

In a video recorded by a guest, one of the Optimus operators even admitted, “Today I’m assisted by a human, I’m not yet fully autonomous.” This reminded many of a previous incident when Musk shared footage in January of Optimus folding a shirt, only for viewers to spot the hand of its human operator in the frame. 

Tesla has been training its robots with help from humans in specialized suits, but Musk didn’t mention this during the event. He also didn’t say that the robots interacting with the crowd were essentially being puppeteered. 

AI gives voice to deceased animals at Cambridge exhibit

Key Points 

• Starting Tuesday, the Museum of Zoology will feature AI-powered exhibits that let deceased animals share their stories and experiences.

• Visitors can engage with over a dozen exhibits, including a dodo and a fin whale, using their mobile phones for voice or text interactions.

🐳News - Artificial intelligence is set to give new life to deceased animals, allowing them to share their stories and even their experiences in the afterlife.

Starting Tuesday, Cambridge University’s Museum of Zoology will host a month-long project featuring over a dozen exhibits, including an American cockroach, dodo remains, a stuffed red panda, and a fin whale skeleton. Visitors will be able to interact with these animals, which will come to life with unique personalities and accents, using their mobile phones through voice or text. 

🐼With AI everywhere, what makes this special? Jack Ashby, the assistant director of the museum, noted that while many museums are exploring AI in various ways, this project is unique because it allows objects to express themselves. He explained that the goal is to determine whether giving animals their own voices can change how people perceive them. 

For each exhibit, the AI is programmed with details about the animal’s habitat, environment, and how it came to be part of the collection, along with information about its species. The exhibits can even adapt their tone and language based on the visitor's age and can communicate in over 20 languages, including Spanish and Japanese. For example, the platypus has an Australian accent, the red panda carries a hint of a Himalayan accent, and the mallard sounds British. Ashby hopes that these live interactions will provide visitors with more engaging insights than those typically found on information labels.

🦤A case in point - When asked about its diet, the museum's dodo—one of the most complete specimens in existence—described its diet in Mauritius, which included fruits, seeds, and the occasional small invertebrate. It also noted that its strong, curved beak was perfect for cracking open the tough fruits of the tambalacoque tree.

The AI-powered dodo also shared its thoughts on whether humans should try to clone the species. It remarked, “Even with advanced techniques, bringing back the dodo would require not just our DNA but the delicate ecosystem of Mauritius that supported us. It’s a reminder that the essence of any life extends beyond genetic makeup; it’s intricately tied to its natural habitat.