Figure AI AI News & Updates
Figure AI and Others Moving Away from OpenAI Dependencies
Humanoid robotics company Figure has announced it's ending its partnership with OpenAI to develop its own in-house AI models, with CEO Brett Adcock hinting at a significant breakthrough. This move reflects a potential shift in the industry as other organizations, including academic researchers who recently demonstrated training a capable reasoning model for under $50, explore alternatives to OpenAI's offerings.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): The decentralization of advanced AI development away from major labs like OpenAI increases the risk of less safety-conscious approaches being implemented, particularly in robotics systems like Figure's humanoids. Having multiple independent robotics companies developing their own advanced AI models with fewer oversight mechanisms could increase the likelihood of unforeseen consequences.
Skynet Date (-3 days): The claimed breakthrough in Figure's in-house AI development alongside the demonstrated ability to train capable reasoning models at dramatically lower costs could significantly accelerate the development timeline for advanced autonomous systems. The democratization of AI development capabilities removes barriers that previously slowed development of potentially risky applications.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): While not directly advancing core AGI capabilities, the trend toward more companies building their own AI systems rather than relying on OpenAI suggests broader industry capability and knowledge diffusion. This decentralization of AI development could lead to more diverse approaches to solving AGI-relevant problems and accelerate innovation through increased competition.
AGI Date (-2 days): The demonstration that capable reasoning models can be trained for under $50 in cloud computing costs dramatically lowers the resource barrier to AI development. Combined with Figure's claimed breakthrough in robotics AI, this suggests the pace of advancement is accelerating as AI development becomes more accessible to a wider range of organizations.
Figure AI Abandons OpenAI Partnership for In-House AI Models After 'Major Breakthrough'
Figure AI has terminated its partnership with OpenAI to focus on developing in-house AI models following what it describes as a "major breakthrough" in embodied AI. CEO Brett Adcock claims vertical integration is necessary for solving embodied AI at scale, promising to demonstrate unprecedented capabilities on their humanoid robot within 30 days.
Skynet Chance (+0.06%): Figure's pursuit of fully integrated, embodied AI for humanoid robots increases risk by creating more autonomous physical systems that might act independently in the real world, potentially with less oversight than when using external AI providers.
Skynet Date (-2 days): The claimed "major breakthrough" and vertical integration approach could accelerate development of more capable embodied AI systems, potentially bringing forward the timeline for advanced autonomous robots that can operate independently in complex environments.
AGI Progress (+0.09%): Figure's claimed breakthrough in embodied AI represents significant progress toward systems that can understand and interact with the physical world, a crucial capability for AGI that extends beyond language and image processing.
AGI Date (-2 days): The shift to specialized in-house AI models optimized for robotics suggests companies are finding faster paths to advanced capabilities through vertical integration, potentially accelerating the timeline to embodied intelligence components of AGI.