Physical Intelligence, a robot startup based in San Francisco, recently received a significant investment of $400 million, bringing its valuation to $2.4 billion. The funding round was led by Jeff Bezos from Amazon, with contributions from OpenAI, Thrive Capital, Lux Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Sequoia Capital. This investment marks a substantial increase from the company’s previous seed round in March, where it was valued at $400 million post a $70 million investment.
Founded in 2023 by Karol Hausman, Sergey Levine, and Lachy Groom, Physical Intelligence aims to develop artificial physical intelligence that can perform a wide range of tasks. The company has been working on a general-purpose robot foundation model called π0 (pi-zero), which has shown capabilities in household tasks like folding laundry, grocery bagging, and bussing tables.
While Physical Intelligence has made significant progress, it acknowledges that there is still room for improvement in areas such as reasoning, planning, autonomous self-improvement, robustness, and safety. The company plans to address these challenges in the coming year to enhance the capabilities of its model.
Jeff Bezos’ investment in Physical Intelligence is not his first foray into robotics, as he previously backed Swiss robot-maker Swiss-Mile with a $100 million valuation. However, while Physical Intelligence provides technical details about its robot model on its website, there is a lack of discussion on the ethical implications of generative AI in robotics and its potential long-term consequences. Only time will tell the full impact of this innovation within the AI landscape.
Mythili Devarakonda, a seasoned journalist with experience in a variety of publications, has recently joined The American Bazaar as a Staff Writer. With a strong background in journalism and a focus on serving the Indian American and South Asian communities, Mythili aims to provide quality news coverage to a diverse audience. Her expertise and dedication to reporting make her a valuable addition to the team.
