It is reported that ByteDance, the China-headquartered parent company of popular video-sharing app TikTok, is developing robots, hoping to explore the possibility of LLM integration and applications with robots. The company also plans to expand its team to over a hundred members.
Established in 2016, ByteDance's AI Lab is divided into two groups: natural language processing (NLP) and research. The former provides technical support for the company's businesses. The robot team is a part of the research group. Currently, the director of the AI lab is Li Hang, who was the former lab chief and chief scientist of the Huawei Noah's Ark Lab.
ByteDance has continuously invested in the AI sector. Besides launching multiple AI tools, earlier reports pointed out that ByteDance's GPU orders from Nvidia in 2023 have exceeded US$1 billion. This includes the A100 and H800 chips it already ordered before the US export sanctions went into effect.
According to a report from China's LatePost, the ByteDance AI Lab robot team currently has around 50 members, with a goal to reach over a hundred people by the end of 2023. The robot the team is currently working on is most likely going to be implemented first in the company's e-commerce services for things like warehouse picking, transportation, and packaging.
ByteDance began exploring robots in 2020, with company founder Zhang Yiming showing great interest in the field. Currently, executives at ByteDance believe that robots should not only be paired with existing businesses but also explore integration with LLMs. As with humanoid robots, their commercial value remains to be seen.
Sources believe that the development of Tesla's humanoid robot also gave ByteDance an extra push in its current direction. In May, Tesla showcased the latest progress of its humanoid robot. The video showed that Tesla's humanoid robot can walk slowly, recognize and remember its surroundings, and grab objects. However, as of now, it is not capable of replacing factory operators.
Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus was first previewed during Tesla's AI Day in 2021. Its prototype made an appearance during the 2022 AI Day. Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the ultimate goal of Optimus is to replace humans in performing dangerous tasks and that its price will not exceed US$20,000.
Xiaomi also showcased the humanoid robot CyberOne in August 2022, though it has emphasized that the CyberOne is still in the initial stages of development.
