An OpenAI-backed humanoid robot startup says it's moving away from using humans to train its Optimus rival (www.businessinsider.com)

1X, a startup backed by OpenAI, has announced a significant shift in its approach to training its humanoid robot, Neo. The company is moving away from human teleoperators to a new AI model that allows the robot to learn directly from video footage it captures. CEO Bernt Børnich explained that this "world model" effectively replicates the role of human operators by enabling Neo to generalize its learning and perform tasks autonomously, marking a critical evolution in robot training methodologies. This change is noteworthy for the AI/ML community, as it highlights an industry trend toward reducing the reliance on human labor for data collection. Teleoperation, which involves physically demanding and repetitive tasks, has been common in robot training; however, the new approach permits scalability with increased deployments of robots. As 1X plans to ship Neo later this year and anticipates achieving full autonomy by 2026, the implications of this development extend beyond reducing operational costs—potentially reshaping the landscape of humanoid robotics and opening avenues for more efficient AI training processes across various applications.