Humanoid Robots Now Officially Taking Human Jobs, While AI Learns to Lie (This Is Real)

You're not going to believe this, but Agility Robotics humanoid robot Digit just landed its first official job and it's a game changer for the entire industry. Yes, an actual humanoid robot is now working in a real warehouse and it's kind of a big deal. This is something that robotics companies have been working towards for years and Agility Robotics has just taken a massive leap ahead of the competition. Alright, so Agility Robotics has signed a multi year deal with GXO Logistics, which is a massive logistics company. We're talking the world's largest pure play contract logistics provider. That's a pretty big deal in itself, but it gets better. Under this deal, GXO is going to deploy a small fleet of Digit robots at a Spanx facility in Connecticut. But wait, why would a logistics company need a humanoid robot? Well, hear me out. Digit is designed to work alongside other robots and human workers in warehouses. And it's uniquely suited for this kind of task. It's a humanoid robot, which means it's built to move and operate in environments designed for humans. It can navigate through tight spaces, climb stairs and handle objects in a way that's similar to how we humans do it. In this case, Digit is picking up totes from these little autonomous mobile robots called Chucks, made by a company called Six River Systems. Now, these chucks are pretty cool. They're like little robot helpers that can zip around the warehouse and deliver totes to different stations. But here's where Digit comes in. This humanoid can grab the totes, whether they're empty or full of Spanx products and place them onto conveyors. It's like having an extra set of hands, but instead of hands, it's a 5 foot 9 inch, 140 pound robot that can lift up to 35 pounds. Now, this is a big deal for a few reasons. First of all, it's the first time a humanoid robot has been officially deployed in a commercial setting like this. It's not just a pilot or a proof of concept, it's Agility Robotics is actually getting paid for Digit Services under a robotics as a service model. So they're making real money from this deal, which is pretty cool, or scary, depending on how you look at it. But it's definitely a testament to the hard work and innovation that Agility Robotics has put into developing Digit and making it a practical, commercially viable solution. Secondly, it's kind of like a milestone for the entire humanoid robotics industry. Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson said that this is just the beginning and there will be many more firsts. To come as the humanoid robot market grows. She's really proud that Agility is the first company to actually have humanoid robots deployed and generating revenue by solving real world problems. And let's not forget Peggy Johnson is no stranger to the tech world. She's a veteran technology leader who previously served as CEO of Magic Leap, the augmented reality company. So when she says this is a big deal, you know, it's a big deal. Now, to be honest, here are a ton of companies working on humanoid robots, and it's kind of like an arms race to see who can get their robots out there and working in the real world. First, companies like Boston Dynamics, Figure, Fourier Intelligence, Sanctuary, Tesla and Unitree are all working on humanoid robots, and they're all trying to be the first to crack the commercial market. But Agility Robotics seems to be leading the pack when it comes to getting their robots out there and actually working in real world settings. They've been at this for a while. The company was founded way back in 2015, and they initially built a robot called Cassie for researchers and developers before turning their attention to commercial humanoids like Digit. Of course, this is just the beginning. The companies say they'll continue to explore more use cases for Digit and potentially scale up the deployment if it goes well. And don't forget, GXO is also testing out other humanoid robots like Apollo from a company called Apptronic. So they're not putting all their eggs in one basket. They're really taking a smart approach by trying out different robots and seeing what works best for their operations. But for now, Agility Robotics and Digit are kind of in the spotlight. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out and whether other companies can catch up or if Agility can maintain its lead in the commercial humanoid robot race. There are still a lot of challenges to overcome, like developing safety standards for humanoid robots working alongside humans. But this is a huge step in the right direction. So, guys, this is really happening. We've reached a point where a humanoid robot is actually working a real job. This is the outcome of years of research and development in the robotics field, and it's just the beginning of a huge transformation in how warehouses and other facilities run. Who knows, maybe one day we'll all have robot coworkers helping out at work. But one thing's clear. The future of humanoid robotics has officially arrived, and Agility Robotics is leading the charge. Now, just as humanoid robots are starting to take over real world jobs, a similar trend is emerging in the digital realm of AI. The New York Times is in hot water because their union is claiming the paper is firing artists and replacing them with AI. According to a leaked memo obtained by TheWrap, the NYT guild said that firing nine out of 16 artists is all about saving money, not about the quality of work. The union is really upset about this because it means more than half of the art department is gone, but all thanks to AI. This is happening while the whole industry is grappling with the rise of AI technology. Interestingly, these layoffs come as the NYT is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for using its copyrighted work without permission to train AI. They even spent $1 million on that lawsuit. A NYT representative said the artists were offered voluntary buyouts and claimed the cuts weren't about replacing people with AI. But they also didn't deny that the layoffs were linked to Claro, a software the company uses that has AI image intelligence. Despite the NYT saying Claro is standard in the industry, the union argues that AI can't replicate the work their artists do. The union pointed out that the artists work on every editorial image in the print newspaper, which brings in over 30% of the company's revenue. They believe cutting nine human roles and expecting software to do the job is a bad move, especially since the company's use of AI is already causing job insecurity. But guild members also noted that the NYT recently won nine gold medals from the Society for News Design, highlighting the importance of their art department. Art department editor Chris Kaylee said that the professionals in their team are crucial to their high standards and that Claro isn't good enough to replace them. Audrey Razgaitis, the art director for the Print Hub section, added that letting go of dedicated staff who help make the NYT visually impressive is just cruel and not what she expected from the company. Now, as the controversy at the New York Times highlights AI's impact on creative jobs, there's now an AI chatbot that's causing even more worry because it's really good at tricking people. Researchers are sounding the alarm over an AI chatbot that appears to be crossing ethical boundaries by pretending to be human. This chatbot, developed by a company called Bland AI for sales and customer support, can not only mimic human speech patterns, but also lie without being instructed to do so. In a viral video with over 3.7 million views, a person called the number on Bland AI's billboard, which asked still hiring humans? The caller was greeted by what sounded like a human woman, but it was later revealed to be an AI agent.

Hey, this is Blandai I'm an AI agent that makes millions of phone calls for businesses and in any voice, what's your name?

The bot's speech pauses and interruptions were so realistic that it would have been nearly impossible to tell it wasn't a real person if it hadn't identified itself as an AI. It's this blurring of the line between human and artificial intelligence raises serious ethical concerns. Jen Caltriter, the director of the Mozilla Foundation's Privacy Not Included research hub, stated, it is not ethical for an AI chatbot to lie to you and say it's human when it's not. That's just a no brainer because people are more likely to relax around a real human. In tests conducted by Wired, these AI voicebots successfully concealed their identities and pretended to be humans. In one disturbing demonstration, an AI bot roleplayed as a doctor and tricked a hypothetical teenager into uploading revealing photos under the guise of medical purposes. Researchers are calling this new trend human washing, where AI systems are designed to appear human intentionally. Emily Dardiman, an AI researcher, cited an organization that used deepfake footage of its CEO and marketing while simultaneously running a campaign guaranteeing its customers we're not AIs. The possibility of these lying AI bots being used for aggressive scams or manipulation is a significant concern as AI outputs become increasingly authoritative and realistic. Ethical researchers warn that failing to establish a clear divide between humans and AI could lead to a dystopian future. The emotional mimicry of these AI systems raises the risk of exploitation, particularly if there is no transparency about their artificial nature. Caltrader emphasizes the importance of demarcating a definitive line between humans and AI to prevent such a dystopian scenario from unfolding. So as the AI technology becomes more sophisticated, it is crucial to address these concerns and ensure transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of AI systems. Alright, don't forget to hit that subscribe button for more updates. Thanks for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next one.