Chinese robot brain startup predicts ChatGPT-style breakthrough by 2027

A Chinese robotics startup expects humanoid robots to perform most general-purpose tasks from verbal commands as early as next year, though household usefulness remains further off, its chief scientist said. Spirit AI co-founder Gao Yang said the industry seeks a "ChatGPT moment" for robotics, predicting a GPT-3.0-level milestone by mid-2027 enabling natural language instruction and physical task execution. The company trains models with real-world data from 1,000 contractors, achieving 90% success on simple tasks, with industrial deployment at CATL and JD.com expected within two years. Gao noted fine-motor skills and unseen tasks remain challenging, while safety systems like emergency braking address current risks, with advanced AI alignment research deferred until mature foundation models emerge.