Two humanoid robots will be on display at the China Mobile booth at the Mobile World Conference held in Shanghai on June 19, 2025.
nuphoto | nuphoto | Getty Images
Humanoid robots that have made technological advances this year could be on a cliff of investment and surges like the popular ChatGpt.
So-called humanoid robots are artificial intelligence driven machines designed to resemble human-like appearance and movement, with anticipated use cases across the industry and services sectors.
These robot manufacturers have been working on technology in the background for many years. Now they say they are ready to unleash technology into the world.
“There is a consensus in our industry that the ChatGpt moment for humanoid robots has arrived,” Xiong Youjun, general manager of Beijing Innovation Centre for Humanoid Robotics, told a panel in Singapore on Thursday along with other experts in the Chinese robotics industry.
“This year is defined as the first year of mass production of humanoid robots,” Xiong, chief technology officer and executive director of robotics company Ubtech, said in a Mandarin translated by CNBC. He added that there have been rapid advances in both mechanical bodies and AI-powered “brains.”
The original “ChatGpt Moments” occurred in late 2022, when Openai opened its groundbreaking generation AI chatbot to the public, leading to a mass adoption of large-scale language models and a widespread recognition of its potential.
Tesla’s Optimus Robot Gesture at an event held in Los Angeles on October 10th, 2024.
Tesla | Via Reuters
Robotics players hoping to include that effect Tesla Optimus. Meanwhile, the number of humanoid robot startups is on the rise in China, with companies like Unitree, Galbot, Agibot and Ubtech Robotics bringing their products to the market.
Humanoid robots have yet to reach a small percentage of the adoption seen in generative AI, but many experts hope that the technology will have a transformative impact on the global economy for years.
Meanwhile, robots are beginning to appear everywhere, from factories to technology conferences and sporting events.
Humanoids pick up steam
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects the company to produce 5,000 Optimus Robots this year, and the technology is expected to ultimately be a large part of EV Maker’s business.
Meanwhile, Chinese humanoid robotics companies say their products are already being used in factories and commercial services.
On Thursday, Galbot Chief Strategy Officer Zhao Yuli said the startups are already deploying almost 1,000 robots in different businesses.
Other companies, such as UBTECH Robotics and Galbot, have also installed robots in their local factories, according to local media reports.
According to Zhao, these deployments are paralleled by a surge in investor interest and government support in the sector, as well as the maturation of both robotics and generator AI technology.
Industry experts pointed out that the maturity of the technology has been on display at many meetings and events this year, including Chinese humanoid robotics games, where robots compete in real-world scenarios.
Galbot won a gold medal in the Robot Skills event after being placed first in the Pharmaceutical Selection Challenge.
Improved motion control of Chinese humanoid robots has been on display in recent months at sporting events such as marathons and boxing matches.
Guo Yandong, founder and CEO of AI²Robotics, added that improved generation AI has allowed robots to learn with jobs rather than relying solely on preset commands.
Not that fast
But despite the hype of humanoid robotics companies, many experts resist the idea that popular adoption will occur soon.
“Humanoids will not arrive at once in a ChatGpt moment, but as their capabilities improve, they will enter more and more positions,” said Reyk Knuhtsen, an analyst at SemianAlysis, an independent research and analytics company specializing in semiconductors and AI. He added that their initial use will be low stakes, a task that will withstand failure.
It goes without saying that it’s long manufacturing timelines and high costs, but this will slow adoption compared to generative AI, he added.
The Ubtech Humanoid Robot is on display at the Beijing International High-Tech Expo, held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, China on May 8, 2025.
VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Even Ubtech’s Xiong acknowledged that several hurdles remain in the sector, including ethical considerations, laws and regulations that need to be addressed.
Still, analyst Knuhtsen hopes that space investment will continue as long as robot autonomy continues to improve.
“The market opportunities for humanoids are enormous and are conditional on how well AI works… If technology works, there are opportunities to transform many labor processes around the world,” he said.
Analysts at Merrill Lynch recently estimated in a research note that global humanoid robot shipments will reach 18,000 units in 2025, from 2,500 units last year. It also predicts the “population” of 3 billion global robots by 2060.
