OpenAI Plans Social Network to Rival X
OpenAI is developing a social network that could shake up the AI landscape. The project centers on ChatGPT's image generation and includes a social feed, according to sources close to the matter.
Startups
Hugging Face Buys Robot Maker to Push Open Source AI Hardware
Hugging Face bought Pollen Robotics to make AI-powered robots more accessible. The deal brings in Pollen's founders and 20-person team from Bordeaux, France.
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The acquisition centers on Reachy 2, a $70,000 humanoid robot that runs on open source software. Researchers at Cornell and Carnegie Mellon already use it to test AI applications.
Research Roots
Pollen's robots run freely available AI models and let users modify their physical design. The company had raised $2.8 million before the deal.
"Physical robots need more trust than laptop chatbots," says Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue. Open source lets everyone check what makes robots tick
Building Momentum
The company has moved fast in robotics. It hired Tesla robot expert Remi Cadene, launched the LeRobot code library, and helped create a $100 robot arm. Nvidia picked Hugging Face to host its GR00T N1 robot AI model.
Hard Reality Check
Humanoid robots still struggle with basic tasks. Many companies post flashy videos that hide their robots' real limits. Some use hidden operators or fail at slight changes.
The field faces real challenges. Big players like Tesla and Figure pour money into humanoid robots, but use cases remain fuzzy and reliability poor.
Yet interest grows. When Pollen shared its robot code on Hugging Face's platform, downloads jumped. Meta released its Llama AI model openly. Even secretive OpenAI plans a free release this summer.
The deal shows how AI companies push beyond software. As models get better at controlling physical systems, keeping the technology open becomes crucial.
Why this matters:
- Open source could democratize robotics like it did software - letting more people build and improve the technology
- As AI gains physical abilities, transparency becomes key for safety and trust
Read on, my dear:
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