Latest news with #robots
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
When Automation Takes Over, Creation Will Take Off
As automation takes over the mundane, the real opportunity isn't just in efficiency — it's in unleashing human creativity at scale. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. When I think about the future, I don't picture humans cleaning gutters or mowing lawns. I picture something else entirely — something more imaginative. We're quickly approaching a world where menial tasks are handled by machines that don't sleep, don't take breaks and never get tired. And once that shift is fully realized, we're left with a bigger question: what do we do with all that time? For me, the answer is creation. We're at the edge of something massive. Automation is coming, and it's going to be fast, sweeping and disruptive. But if we embrace what makes us human — our creativity, our ability to connect, to imagine, to express — we won't be displaced. We'll be elevated. Automation isn't the end — It's the beginning When the robots start working 24 hours a day and only need an hour to re-oil or recharge, there's no way we'll compete with that kind of efficiency — and we shouldn't want to. That's not where our value lies. Once those menial jobs are taken care of, it opens a door. A door back to something we've been losing: time to think, to philosophize, to explore the meaning of life, just like they did in Roman and Grecian times. We'll spend less time doing tasks like driving cars, which honestly can't happen soon enough. The number of people who die every year in car accidents is staggering. Imagine a world where those wrecks, the repairs, the hospital visits, all of that... gone. That's what's ahead. But with that change comes a shift in identity. A lot of people find purpose in their jobs, even the repetitive ones. If we lose those, we've got to find purpose elsewhere. I believe that the purpose is in creating. So if you're leading a company, start carving out space for that now. Give your people room to create. I don't mean just artistic stuff — I mean letting them bring ideas, build something new, try things out because the ones who learn how to create in this new world are the ones who'll stay valuable. Related: 90% of Your Business Could Be Automated With Just These 4 Tools Art will lead the next revolution We're going to see an onslaught of art in every form — music, film, writing, you name it. That's not speculation; it's already happening. I was just on a call about launching an AI film company focused on short-form video and commercials. Things are moving so fast that it's hard to keep up. There was a commercial shot with a person filmed using just an iPhone. A few back-and-forth shots, handed over to AI — and boom, it became a full ad. That's all it took. And now imagine what happens when that speed, that capability, meets human creativity. But even with AI in the mix, there's a twist only we can bring. AI is just remixing what we've already done. We, on the other hand, can create things that have never been seen before. Entire worlds. New perspectives. Things that AI might eventually mimic, sure — but we'll always be a step ahead in originality. We're not just going to consume more art. We're going to make more of it, and we'll make it differently. In music, for example, AI is already writing songs. I've got a friend who used AI to turn one of his poems into a bluesy song. My friend told the program what kind of voice, what style, and that was it. When I played it for people here at the studio, they didn't even realize it was AI. They just said, "Yeah, that's not bad." And that's where it gets interesting. What happens when someone who is musically gifted takes that tool and uses it as a conductor, controlling everything from rhythm to tone to background strings, crafting something original? That's the revolution we're heading into—not one where AI replaces us, but where it gives creators the power to be the entire orchestra. That's where leaders need to pay attention. Don't just chase the tech—figure out how to get it into the hands of your most creative people. Let them drive it. The human touch is irreplaceable Sure, you can make a song or a film with AI. But you can't replicate the feeling of a live concert. I just came back from a Vivaldi concert in Vienna — nine musicians, mostly violinists, playing The Four Seasons. You can't AI that. Not really. Not the energy, not the emotion of watching someone perform right in front of you. That's where the human part stays irreplaceable. We'll use AI to create better art, sure. But we'll still crave the live experience, the human behind the music, the emotion behind the words. And maybe, just maybe, this opens doors for people who've never had access before. Before, you had to go through all these steps— find a band, book studio time and get a label deal. Now? Anyone with talent and drive can make music, make films, tell stories. That levels the playing field in a big way. The truly creative people, who know how to use the tools, are the ones who will rise. If you're running a business, that shift matters. You're not just looking at resumes anymore — you're looking for raw creativity and people who know how to work with these tools. That's who'll bring new ideas to the table and move things forward. Related: Why Automation is Killing Your Productivity and Draining Profits Let the machines work — we'll create The speed at which this is happening — it's not 10 to 20 years. It's 10 to 20 months. And we'll be in a whole new creative realm. So yes, automation is coming. Yes, AI is here. But it's not something to fear. Because what's left — what remains — is us. Our ability to interact, to live with each other, to make life something beautiful. What automation leaves behind is not emptiness. It's space. Space for imagination. Space for art. Space to figure out what it really means to be human. And that, to me, is worth everything.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Watch The World's First Humanoid Robot Kickboxing Match
Unitree G1 robots in a kickboxing competition in China. 52% of U.S. workers are worried about robots replacing them on the jobsite, according to a recent Pew Research finding. Now we might have to add UFC fighters to those numbers, since China's Unitree Robotics staged the world's first-ever humanoid robot kickboxing match. The robots, honestly, aren't yet amazing at punching and kicking each other, and sometimes fall off-balance while attacking or defending themselves. But, like the humanoid robotic half-marathon held in Beijing in mid-April, it's a start. And with the pace of innovation in humanoid robot development, it's going to get much better. The kickboxing match featured four Unitree G1 robots, which are relatively small for humanoid robots at just over four feet tall and under 80 pounds in weight. Their punches generally lacked power because the G1 robots are fairly slow, meaning they essentially pushed each other with their boxing glove covered hands rather than actually snapping a punch with pace into their opponent's heads. Kicks were similar, and some kneeing attacks just hit thin air as their robotic opponent spun out of the way. However, the G1s featured excellent return-to-standing ability after slipping or being knocked down, even when getting tangled up in the boxing ring ropes. For now, the humanoid robot kickboxing competition is something interesting, but not for its combat entertainment value. There isn't a huge amount of that, but the fact that the robots are fighting at all is astonishing. And it's somewhat promising. I love combat sports, but it's a guilty pleasure. I've mostly stopped watching mixed martial arts competitions, because it's just so destructive to human health and wellbeing: two fighters who have trained themselves to the peak of human strength, flexibility, and capability proceed to utterly destroy each other, with potentially long-term health and wellbeing impacts, particularly to their brains. Humanoid robot combat sports might offer the interest factor without the inevitable human carnage that results. The fight was broadcast on Chinese state television, Asia Times says. Fight training was handled by AI: 'It is not easy to teach robots different movements,' Wang Qixin, a director at Unitree, told Chinese Central Television. 'We used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to train them.' Innovation in humanoid robots is ramping up significantly, Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas told me in a recent interview, and AI is a major driver of that. 'I think we're on this exponential curve,' he says. 'I think the simple way of explaining it is we're moving from pre-programming robots and modeling the world to where the robots can now learn [themselves].' Apparently, that's not just how to move boxes, tighten screws, or mop floors. It's also how to throw a punch and deliver a kick.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Inside China's disturbing sex doll factories building thousands of hyper-realistic robots - including child-sized dolls which are flooding America
Chinese sex doll factories have reported booming business thanks to the installation of AI chatbots, with creepy pictures showing the realistic toys being manufactured. Disturbing images lay bare how the process of mass producing realistic sex bots has progressed over recent years, with basic silicone dolls seen next to anthropomorphic robots. WMDoll, one of China 's biggest sex doll makers, has said it is expecting a record 30 per cent jump in sales this year thanks to its adoption of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. 'It makes the dolls more responsive and interactive, which offers users a better experience,' the company's founder and chief Liu Jiangxia told the South China Morning Post. Unlike traditional sex dolls, those installed with AI capabilities are designed to speak back to the user. WMDoll says it can make dolls with about eight different 'personalities' to choose from, which are capable of continuing a conversation started a few days earlier. The company fits its dolls with an AI tool which is designed to pander to its partner's ego and which can be programmed to ask questions about their 'relationship' and about the user's feelings. 'In the past, these dolls' primary function was to satisfy users' sexual needs,' Jiangxa said. 'But as their physical features such as head and joint movements and skin became more realistic, our customers started to seek emotional companionship in the dolls.' She said that was when the firm decided to introduce large language models into its products, allowing the dolls to 'react to users verbally'. The company started used AI in its dolls in 2016 and the technology has been improving thanks to open source AI, which has helped to make them cheaper. Dolls are often made with thermoplastic which is heated to 37C to reflect a human's body temperature and developers say these perverse dolls have body sensors that also make them feel human-like. Another manufacturer, Shenzhen Atall Intelligent Robot Technology based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, previously said that most of its clients are 40 to 50-year-old men that come from Europe and the US. Users can order custom-made AI dolls which cost around $3,000 (£2,000) each and have soft and elastic skin made from rubbery plastic that contain less oil content than normal plastics and do not smell. US customers are said to like dolls with darker skin and large breasts, buttocks and genitals while Chinese customers go for for Asian features with small, hairless genitals, the company said. Most shockingly, the firm is selling child-size AI sex robots, both male and female, and the biggest market for them is reportedly in the US and Canada. However, the perverse fetish for child-like dolls is nothing new, with police raids around the globe in recent years leading to dolls being seized and perverted users arrested. The robots' bodies are made from modified thermoplastic elastomers (TBE) with a metal skeleton and they are around half the weight of normal human beings. The company says they have anti-electric shock, anti-fire and anti-explosion measures. Pictured is a user holding a hand of his 'smart' sex doll as he sits on a sofa in his home in Guangzhou The robot's eyes, lips and head move and they speak English and Chinese, developers say. Flexible joints mean the dolls can be positioned in a variety of poses for display as well as sexual acts. The company also produces custom-made AI sex robots which sell for $9,400 (£7,000). So far two have been ordered by men who wanted them based on the image of their wife who had passed away. Around 70 per cent of these customers also ask for hair on the dolls' genital area. Male sex robots are also sold but they are nine times less popular than female robots, according to manufacturers. On Chinese social media, some say the products reinforce sexist stereotypes or endorse paedophilia. 'When sex robots become more technologically advanced, will men prefer to use them instead of respecting human wives?' one commenter on the Twitter-like Weibo platform wrote. Meanwhile others, calling themselves 'friends of dolls', share user reviews and advice on dedicated online forums. 'The material is quite good, very soft to the touch. When I hold her I feel very comfortable,' one anonymous user said in a review of a standard sex doll on e-commerce platform Taobao. China has previously been estimated to make more than 80 percent of the world's sex toys, with over a million people employed in the country's $6.6 billion industry. Prominent Chinese feminist Xiao Meili thinks that some men will always have outdated expectations and 'sex housewife robots' might actually help women. 'A lot of men want the same for women: sex, housework, childbirth and filial piety. They don't think of women as individuals,' Xiao told AFP.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ontario community sees autonomous robots take to sidewalks
John Vennavally-Rao has the story of a three-month pilot program in Markham, Ont. involving four robots delivering takeout to hungry customers.
The Verge
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Verge
Lawrence Ulrich
More From Lawrence Ulrich Hyundai's new EV factory is teeming with robots — and wariness about the future The South Korean automaker's new $7.6 billion factory is a bulwark against tariffs and EV-hostile policies.
