Boston Dynamics, OpenAI, Samsung

Three partnerships that show where AI is actually going

January 07, 2026

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🗞️In this edition

  • Boston Dynamics Teams Up With Google to Make Humanoid Robots Smarter

  • Sponsored: Glady AI - Get the investor view on AI in customer experience

  • OpenAI Partners With Marketing Company to Put AI Agents in Every Campaign

  • Samsung Puts AI in Every TV to Make Screens Smarter

  • In other AI news –

    • Accenture Buys UK AI Firm and Makes Its CEO the New CTO

    • AI Now Detects Problem Gamblers Before They Lose Control

    • Nvidia Invested in 67 AI Startups This Year Alone

  • 4 must-try AI tools

The pattern is clear now.

AI isn't staying in software. It's moving into robots, TVs, and marketing campaigns. It's becoming the layer between what technology can do and what people actually need it to do.

This week, three announcements show how fast that's happening. Boston Dynamics partnered with Google to make humanoid robots smarter. Zeta Global teamed up with OpenAI to automate marketing decisions. Samsung put AI into every TV they sell.

These aren't research projects. They're products launching this year.

This edition looks at what happens when AI stops being a feature and becomes the foundation. When partnerships replace internal development. When the question shifts from "can we build this?" to "who do we build it with?"

If you want to see where AI is actually going, not where people say it's going, start here.

What's happening:

The announcement came at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The two companies will work together to put Google's Gemini Robotics AI models into Boston Dynamics' new Atlas humanoid robots.

Atlas is the humanoid robot known for doing backflips and parkour. Boston Dynamics only announced plans to commercialize it in 2024.

The partnership will focus on industrial tasks, starting with automotive manufacturing. Research will happen at both companies over the coming months.

Boston Dynamics brings athletic robots that can move through complex environments. Google DeepMind brings AI models that help robots see, reason, and interact with humans.

The goal is to create humanoid robots that can handle a wide variety of manufacturing tasks without being programmed for each specific job.

Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics models are designed to work with robots of any shape and size. They're built on the same foundation as the Gemini AI that powers Google's chatbots.

Hyundai Motor Group, which owns Boston Dynamics, was involved in the announcement. They see this as part of transforming manufacturing.

Why this is important:

This matters because it combines the two hardest parts of humanoid robotics.

Making robots move well is hard. Boston Dynamics spent decades getting Atlas to walk, run, and jump without falling. That's the physical part.

Making robots understand what to do is equally hard. That's where AI comes in. Google's models give robots the ability to perceive situations and make decisions.

Putting these together could finally make humanoid robots practical for real work. Not just demos. Actual jobs in factories.

The automotive industry focus is strategic. Car manufacturing involves repetitive tasks in controlled environments. That's easier than chaotic warehouses or construction sites.

If humanoid robots work in car factories, they'll spread to other industries. Boston Dynamics is essentially using auto manufacturing as a testing ground.

The timing matters. Boston Dynamics only decided to commercialize Atlas in 2024 after AI got good enough. Before that, programming robots for each task was too slow and expensive.

Foundation models changed the economics. Instead of programming every movement, you train the AI on many tasks and it figures out how to adapt. That's what Google brings.

The partnership also shows Google is serious about physical AI. Most of their AI work has been digital. This moves into the real world where robots need to manipulate objects and navigate spaces.

For manufacturing, this could accelerate automation. Humanoid robots can use the same tools and spaces as humans. No need to redesign entire factories.

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What's happening:

Zeta Global just announced a partnership with OpenAI at CES 2026 to power its new marketing AI agent called Athena.

Zeta Global is a publicly traded marketing technology company. They help brands send personalized messages to customers.

Athena is their AI agent built for enterprise marketing teams. It answers questions, analyzes data, and can take actions automatically.

OpenAI's models will power Athena's intelligence. Zeta will also get early access to new OpenAI features before public release.

Two apps are entering beta now. Insights gives instant answers about marketing data. Advisor watches campaigns and recommends or automates actions.

Zeta says demand has been unprecedented. They're launching Athena to all customers by end of March 2026.

TKO Group, which owns UFC and WWE, is testing it. They report tasks that took hours now happen in seconds.

Zeta's stock jumped nearly 9 percent on the announcement.

Why this is important:

This matters because OpenAI is moving beyond chatbots and into real business tasks like marketing.

Marketing technology is a huge market worth billions. Adding AI agents that can actually do the work, not just assist, changes the economics.

The timing is strategic. Old marketing platforms are aging. Companies are looking to replace them. Zeta sees this as a chance to win customers with AI.

The agent approach is different. Athena doesn't just answer questions. It takes actions. Adjusting campaigns, reallocating budgets, testing messages. That's automation, not assistance.

For OpenAI, this is about distribution. They can't sell directly to every marketing team. Partnering with Zeta puts their technology in front of thousands of brands.

The early access piece matters. Zeta gets new OpenAI features before competitors. That creates temporary advantage.

The 9 percent stock jump shows investors believe this is real. Markets think this partnership will drive revenue.

For marketers, this could mean fewer people doing repetitive tasks. The Advisor app replaces work junior marketers currently do.

Comments from the editor:

What stands out is how specific this partnership is.

OpenAI isn't just licensing models. They're aligning product roadmaps and building features specifically for Zeta's needs.

The focus on marketing is smart. Clear goals like revenue and retention make proving AI value easier than fuzzy areas.

The TKO testimonial about cutting hours to seconds is compelling. If true, that's transformation, not incremental improvement.

But execution risk is real. Beta testing with friendly customers is different from rolling out to thousands of companies at scale.

The claim about replacing legacy platforms is ambitious. Those systems are deeply embedded. Migration is painful and expensive.

The agent terminology is getting overused. What makes Athena different isn't entirely clear from the announcement.

The March 2026 timeline is aggressive. Less than three months suggests confidence or pressure.

The real test comes when real money is on the line. Beta customers are forgiving. Paying customers aren't.

What's happening:

Samsung announced its Vision AI Companion at CES 2026. It's AI software going into nearly every TV they sell this year.

The system can understand content on screen and provide contextual information. It's designed to be proactive rather than just responding to voice commands.

This means the TV can surface relevant information based on what's being displayed without waiting for you to ask.

Samsung also revealed a 130 inch Micro RGB TV. It uses tiny RGB LEDs to produce more accurate colors and brightness.

The company is offering seven years of software updates for all 2026 TVs. The AI features will continue improving long after purchase.

Samsung has been the number one TV brand globally for 20 straight years. They're using AI as a way to maintain and extend that dominance.

The strategy extends beyond entertainment. Samsung wants TVs to integrate deeply with smart home devices through their SmartThings platform.

SmartThings now has 430 million users globally. That ecosystem gives Samsung data about how people actually use connected devices in their homes.

The Vision AI features are going across nearly the entire lineup, from budget to premium models. This isn't just for expensive TVs.

Why this is important:

This matters because Samsung is standardizing AI in device production, not reserving it for premium models only.

When the market leader puts new technology in everything they sell, that technology becomes the baseline expectation.

The shift toward proactive features represents a different vision of what TVs do. Instead of just displaying content, they're becoming assistants that provide context without being asked.

Offering seven years of updates is significant. Most TVs last seven to ten years. Guaranteeing software support for the entire lifespan means the TV won't feel outdated.

The 430 million SmartThings users represent real scale. That gives Samsung data advantages in understanding usage patterns and designing better integrations.

Making AI features standard across all price points accelerates adoption. When every model gets them, millions of people experience them immediately.

For competitors like LG and Sony, this forces their hand. AI integration moves from nice to have to must-have.

This is also about future-proofing against tech companies. Samsung sees Amazon, Google, and Apple pushing smart home ecosystems. By making the TV the hub, Samsung positions itself as the center.

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AI stopped being about the models.

What matters now is who partners with whom, what gets built on top, and how quickly it reaches real users.

Boston Dynamics brings athleticism. Google brings intelligence. Zeta brings distribution. OpenAI brings capability. Samsung brings scale.

The companies winning aren't necessarily the ones with the best technology. They're the ones who know what they're good at and find partners for everything else.

That's the shift we're tracking. Not just the breakthroughs, but the alliances that turn breakthroughs into products people actually use.

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