Overview
- Xpeng introduced its next‑generation IRON humanoid with a humanlike gait, 3 Turing chips and a flexible skin design, targeting scaled production by late 2026 with initial use in its own commercial venues.
- After online claims that a person was inside the demo unit, chairman He Xiaopeng posted a single‑take, unedited video to rebut the allegation and assert the presentation’s authenticity.
- Xpeng detailed safety engineering for physical AI, including dual‑redundant systems for its planned 2026 L4 Robotaxi trials, an indoor AEB collision‑avoidance system for IRON, use of solid‑state batteries and a pledge to keep user data on‑device.
- Industry voices continue to temper expectations, with UBTech’s Jiao Jichao projecting industrial uptake in 2–3 years, broader commercial use in 3–5 and home assistants in roughly 8–10, as rivals such as Unitree showcase full‑body teleoperation and Star Dynamics outlines a 2026 manufacturing plan in Ningbo.
- Microsoft announced an in‑house MAI superintelligence team to reduce dependence on OpenAI under an agreement to use its models through 2032, as OpenAI’s Sam Altman rejected financial‑distress reports and denied a set IPO timeline, and Tim Berners‑Lee warned generative AI could undermine ad‑funded web economics.