Musk criticizes humanoid robot industry: pre-choreographed demos are not real AI capability
At the X Takeover event at Tesla's Texas factory, Musk criticized the humanoid robot industry, saying many complex demonstrations rely on pre-choreography and "that is not real AI"; the criterion should be whether a robot can handle situations it has never seen before. In the first half of 2026, global humanoid robot shipments exceeded 22,000 units, up nearly 300% year on year, but entertainment performances and education/science data collection together accounted for over 60%, smart manufacturing for only 13%, and warehouse logistics for only 5%.