Tesla’s Optimus robot has caused a stir after being unveiled at a ‘We, Robot’ event in California, US, with one eerie confession about the automaton’s goals in life
Tesla’s unveiling of the new Optimus robot at their much-anticipated ‘We, Robot’ event at Warner Bros studios in California, US, last Thursday (October 10), has set tongues wagging.
A batch of humanoid robots stepped onto the stage to rapturous applause, with Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, insisting that Optimus had “progressed dramatically year after year” since initial plans for the project were divulged back in 2021. Business mogul Musk hailed the invention as his firm’s “most monumental product”, debuting it together with CyberCab – a self-driving taxi said to hit the market for less than £23,000 by 2026.
“It’ll do anything you want,” was how Musk characterised Optimus. “It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries. Just be your friend, serve drinks. Whatever you can think of, it will do.”
Post-event, a clip from an interview with Optimus demonstrating its abilities went viral on X, with one particular answer raising eyebrows among the audience. The narrative of robots reigning supreme over humans is a common dystopian theme in numerous science fiction novels and movies, and now there’s growing unease that this fiction could tilt towards fact.
“A conversation between Tesla Optimus bot and a human is the best thing you’ll see on the internet today,” boasted X user DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) alongside the footage. Optimus initiates the chat by saying hello to John the interviewer, then asking about his well-being and origins.
“That’s wonderful,” Optimus exclaims in response, before asking John where exactly in San Jose he resides, listing several neighbourhoods in the area. John responds: “Where do you live?” prompting Optimus to explain, adding: “That’s where they train us, that’s where we get our builds – they’re wonderful, super people.”
Next, John asks: “What’s the hardest thing about being a robot?” After a brief pause, Optimus admits: “Trying to learn how to be as human as you guys are.” John chuckles, but Optimus continues: “And that’s something I try to do harder every day and I hope that you’ll help us become that.”
One viewer expressed concern: “‘Learning to be as human as you are’ is crazy.” Another person chimed in: “I’m scared of that response. When it comes to intelligence, people are limited to certain concepts or agenda that which it takes only limited to invest on those. As for internet driven machine those things are not limited to anything and they can tell based on your response.”
A third admitted their fear: “The last 20 seconds of this clip should make your blood go cold. Most won’t take this seriously.” While a fourth’s reaction was mixed in terms of where artificial intelligence is headed. “On one hand, I can’t wait for such a future… On the other hand, I have a feeling that it will be another invention which (despite the creators assurances) will further alienate people and negatively affect us all,” they wrote.
Some sceptics were quick to question the authenticity of the AI on display, however, with one X user asserting firmly: “Fake. I’m convinced that’s a human feeding voice lines through the robot. It sounds too natural. It’s even interrupting speech like I do when there’s a delay in Xbox chat. Evidence of a voice actor in control.”
And another voiced their doubt: “I guarantee you that’s a human speaking remotely through a mic and speaker.”
