By Katie Paul and Harshita Mary Varghese
(Reuters) -Meta Platforms is establishing a new division within its Reality Labs unit to develop AI-powered humanoid robots that can assist with physical tasks, according to an internal company memo viewed by Reuters on Friday.
Facebook (NASDAQ:META) parent Meta is entering the competitive field of humanoid robotics, joining rivals such as Nvidia-backed Figure AI and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), as the emergence of advanced AI models drives innovation in robotics and automation.
In the memo, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said the robotics product group would focus on research and development involving "consumer humanoid robots with a goal of maximizing Llama's platform capabilities."
Llama is the name of Meta's main series of AI foundation models, which power a growing suite of generative AI products on the company's social media platforms.
"We believe expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs," Bosworth wrote.
The group will be led by Marc Whitten, the former CEO of self-driving car company Cruise, whom Meta has hired as vice president of robotics, Bosworth said in the memo. The news was first reported by Bloomberg News.
Bosworth said the company also hired John Koryl as vice president of retail. Koryl, who was formerly CEO of second-hand e-commerce company The RealReal (NASDAQ:REAL), was hired to expand efforts to sell directly to consumers Meta's Quest mixed reality headsets and AI wearables such as Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which Meta makes with eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica.
Meta aims to build "more direct expertise in the space" by developing retail locations like the Meta Lab temporary store it opened in Los Angeles in November, although retail partners will continue to drive the bulk of hardware sales volume, Bosworth said.
Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The announcement represents a major bet on Meta's Reality Labs unit, which is aimed at developing technologies to drive future growth but has hemorrhaged money since its establishment. The unit lost about $5 billion in the fourth quarter of last year.
Major tech companies and startups are pouring billions into developing AI-powered devices for manufacturing, logistics and household tasks. Progress on robots has been slow, however, as researchers have found that the language-related AI breakthroughs driving chatbot development have not necessarily helped with understanding of the physical world.
Meta for years has been funding research into "embodied AI," hoping to develop AI assistants that can look at, listen to and navigate the 3D physical world around them. The company's top AI scientist, Yann LeCun, also has been vocal about highlighting the limitations of language models and trying to develop new types of models that can better understand physical space.
Prominent computer scientist Fei-Fei Li jumped into the race last year with the launch of her "spatial intelligence" startup World Labs, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that his company's humanoid robot "Optimus" can perform many daily tasks and will eventually be sold to customers.
On Thursday, Apptronik secured $350 million in funding backed by investors including Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)'s Google to scale the production of its AI-powered humanoid robots designed for tasks in warehouses and manufacturing plants.
Meta plans to develop its own humanoid robot hardware, initially targeting household chores, while aiming to create AI, sensors and software that can power robots manufactured and sold by various companies, according to the Bloomberg report.
Meta has started discussing its plan with robotics companies, including Unitree Robotics and Figure AI, and does not immediately plan to launch its own branded robot, the report said.