The humanoid robot industry is at a very critical juncture, however. This moment is eerily reminiscent of the transformative release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022. This momentous occasion ushered in the widespread adoption of large language models and demonstrated their ability to disrupt industries across the board. As 2023 continues to roll out, experts like Ryan are confident that humanoid robots are on the precipice of that same breakthrough.
Xiong, the chief technology officer and executive director of robotics firm UBTech, stated, “This year has been defined as the first year of mass production of humanoid robots.” This announcement is a large step in the industry’s approach towards creating and utilizing humanoid robots for tangible, real-world use. Xiong shared incredible perspectives on the present and future of humanoid robots. Now, as they become more autonomous, investment will continue booming, says Reyk Knuhtsen, an analyst with the consultancy SemiAnalysis.
At home in China, a number of humanoid robot startups claim to be making headway. New entrants including Unitree, Galbot, Agibot and UBtech Robotics are popping up like mushrooms after a rainstorm. Recently, these companies have started deploying their products in factory and commercial service. This shows that humanoid robots are being accepted more and more into the daily operations. Zhao Yuli, chief strategy officer at Galbot, the third largest such company in the country, stressed this point. She announced that the start-up has now deployed close to 1,000 robots at different companies.
Given the recent development between Atlas and BigDog and the associated competitions, it’s hard to deny the momentum around humanoid robots. At the 2025 World Robot Conference (WRC) in Beijing, Unitree Robotics showcased its robots in a boxing match—a demonstration of robotics innovation and competition. Furthermore, Galbot achieved notable recognition by winning a gold medal in the Robot Skills event after excelling in a pharmaceutical sorting challenge.
And this recent boom in development has been largely driven by exciting new capabilities within generative AI. As Guo Yandong, founder and CEO of AI² Robotics, told us about one of the key ways these improvements expand what robots are capable of doing. Today, robots are able to learn on the fly rather than relying solely on pre-programmed instructions. This evolution is a significant turning point in the manner that humanoid robots can be adopted across all industries.
From the looks of it, industry consensus indicates that this “ChatGPT moment” for humanoid robots is already upon us. Xiong Youjun, general manager at the Beijing Innovation Center for Humanoid Robotics, remarked, “There is a consensus in our industry that the ChatGPT moment for humanoid robots has arrived.” Knuhtsen warned that fully introducing humanoids into other positions won’t be an overnight shift. Rather, he said they’ll backfill positions over time as their capacity improves.
“The market opportunity for humanoids is enormous, contingent on how well the AI performs,” Knuhtsen added. “If the technology works, it has the chance to transform many labor processes around the world.” This announcement underscores the enormous potential humanoid robots would bring to just about every sector. If they continue to be effectively developed, we could see transformative changes.
The world’s robot population will hit 3 billion by 2060 — nearly a doubling of robots in just a few short decades. This forecast indicates that humanity is approaching a new age in robotics. Taken together, these recent announcements represent a major move to incorporate humanoid robots into everyday workflows, potentially unlocking tremendous increases in efficiency and productivity.