Last week, when Tesla teased its We, Robot event, people talked about the impressive display of human-working robots, dubbed Optimus. As these robots spoke to the crowd, served drinks, played games, and even admitted to conversing over drinks, they stole the spotlight they likely had stowed away minutes before. However, the event did little to answer questions about how advanced these robots were.
Tesla shared videos from the We, Robot event, showing they’d made massive strides in AI-powered robotics. The robots moved smoothly and were capable of responding to verbal cues. After chatting with attendees, they seemed like real people. Though the show was a little less futuristic than the reality behind it, there were some pretty clear signs that they weren’t quite as autonomous as they seemed, hidden behind all the hype.
Playing charades with the Tesla Optimus robot last night. This is either the single greatest robotics and LLM demo the world has ever seen, or it's MOSTLY remote operated by a human. No in between. pic.twitter.com/vCqzk8DDdO
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) October 12, 2024
The real secret behind Optimus? Humans were pulling the strings
The Optimus robots seemed to work independently, but soon the truth broke cover. Multiple attendees and analysts said humans remotely controlled Tesla’s robots. Robert Scoble, a tech insider present at the event, confirmed that engineers were “remotely assisting” the robots. This wasn’t some rumor; this was an engineer who let the leaks out, which was confirmed later by Electrek and Morgan Stanley analysts.
You knew what to look for once you knew what to look for. For example, they had different voices, which seemed odd if all those robots were on the same AI. Additionally, their responses were too fast for the machine to do in real time. It wasn’t because these robots were advanced — their mastery of conversing, gesturing, and moving through their environment so well had been worked out by humans.
One of the robots even jokingly admitted as much, telling Scoble that “it might be some” AI when asked how much of its actions were truly autonomous. Another robot confessed in a slightly mechanical voice, “Today, I am assisted by a human,” even stumbling over the word “autonomous.” It was a moment of revealing slip-up, joining a growing list of evidence that the robots Tesla has been building and demonstrating were not in full control of their actions.
Elon Musk showed off #Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus once again at the company’s We, Robot Event, claiming: “Whatever you can think of, it will do."#optimusRobot #TeslaRobotaxi #ElonMusk #AI #Tech #future pic.twitter.com/ByccrxNIvL
— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) October 11, 2024
A theatrical Ddisplay, but not a breakthrough in robotics
I’ll also note that Tesla didn’t exactly hide that fact. From nearly the get-go, Elon Musk introduced the concept of Optimus by unveiling a person in a robot suit. The Cybercab event followed this theatrical approach, setting the stage. The robots were entertaining and impressive, but they didn’t exhibit the leaps of AI technology back here.
The event wasn’t a demonstration of real-world advancements, and those looking for Tesla’s unveiling of a first humanoid robot were spoiled by a show rather than seeing a demonstration. Tesla’s robots may have looked flashy, but they are far from finished and rely on human support to work in the environment where the event was staged.
Elon Musk's Optimus Robots were fake.
Yes, fake.#ElonMusk #OptimusRobot pic.twitter.com/MIDlWdsXkI— Sandeep Manudhane (@sandeep_PT) October 14, 2024
What does this mean for Tesla’s robotics future?
Breaking: Tesla’s humanoid robots were impressive, but the event revealed they are far from being fully autonomous machines. In development, the company aims to produce robots that can work independently in everyday situations. According to Tesla’s Optimus, robots are still a mix of human intervention and AI, as they are currently.
The Cybercab event showed us that flashy presentations don’t always tell the entire story. While Tesla’s robots are visually striking, they are still far from robots with full autonomy and survival abilities. The “We, Robot” event was a glimpse into what could be, but humans remain an essential part of the equation for now. The event showed that Tesla’s ambitious vision for humanoid robots is still alive but is not ready for the spotlight.
Image credit: Tesla/YouTube
