How robots learn: A brief, contemporary history
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The robotics industry is shifting to AI-driven learning, with $6.1 billion invested in humanoid robots in 2025.
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The robotics industry has seen a significant shift from rule-based programming to AI-driven learning, catalyzed by the 2022 arrival of ChatGPT. In 2025 alone, companies and investors poured $6.1 billion into humanoid robots, quadrupling the investment from 2024. This change allows robots to learn by trial and error in simulations or by predicting actions based on vast datasets, similar to large language models. OpenAI's Dactyl used "domain randomization" to train a robotic hand in varied simulations, while Google DeepMind's RT-2 incorporated internet data to enable robots to translate language into action, such as placing a Coke can near a picture of Taylor Swift. Companies like Covariant are now deploying AI models like RFM-1 in warehouses, allowing robotic arms to interact and learn from human coworkers at scale.
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