Figure Switches to In-House AI Models, Ditches OpenAI

# openai # humanoid # figure

Figure AI, a company developing general-purpose humanoid robots for both commercial and residential use, announced on Tuesday via X that it's pulling out of its deal with OpenAI. The Bay Area-based company is now shifting its focus to developing its own AI, spurred by what they're calling a "major breakthrough." In a chat with TechCrunch, founder and CEO Brett Adcock kept the details under wraps but teased that they'll unveil "something no one has ever seen on a humanoid" within the next month. OpenAI has been a significant investor in Figure, and the two had inked a deal last year to work on "next generation AI models for humanoid robots." Alongside this, Figure announced a hefty $675 million funding round, pushing its valuation to $2.6 billion. To date, the company has raised a total of $1.5 billion. The decision to part ways with OpenAI might come as a shock, especially considering the buzz that comes with being linked to such a high-profile company. Just last August, they announced that the Figure 02 humanoid would leverage OpenAI's models for natural language communication. According to Adcock, the sticking point was integration. OpenAI, being a giant with a wide range of focuses, doesn't prioritize embodied AI—the kind that powers physical robots like those from Figure. Adcock believes the best approach is to build an AI model from the ground up, specifically tailored to their hardware. "We found that to solve embodied AI at scale in the real world, you have to vertically integrate robot AI," Adcock explained to TechCrunch. "We can’t outsource AI for the same reason we can’t outsource our hardware." OpenAI, meanwhile, has been spreading its bets across the humanoid robotics field. It's also a major investor in the Norwegian startup 1X, which, unlike most firms focusing on industrial settings, is targeting the home market. During a visit to Figure’s Sunnyvale office last September, Adcock mentioned to TechCrunch that they're also looking into home applications, though it's not their main focus. After all, big companies like BMW, which started using Figure robots in a South Carolina factory last year, have more cash to throw at new tech. Interestingly, OpenAI might be dipping its toes into humanoid hardware itself. On Friday, they filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that mentions "user-programmable humanoid robots" and "humanoid robots having communication and learning functions for assisting and entertaining people." While IP filings don't always lead to actual products, it's hard not to connect the dots with these recent developments. Figure's hefty funding has fueled rapid growth, leading to an expansion into a larger Bay Area office to house their expanding team. When it comes to proprietary software, the Apple approach—building software that's perfectly tuned to your hardware—can be a game-changer. It's tough and resource-heavy, though. Most companies in the humanoid space are tinkering with their own AI models to some extent, though collaborations are still common. For instance, Boston Dynamics teamed up with Toyota Research Institute in October to bring smarts to the Atlas robot. TechCrunch has reached out to OpenAI for their take on all this.

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