Robotics & AI News

Curated news from the world of robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence

Featured

The Space Station Test Kitchen: Why Orbital Robotics Is the Last Frontier for Embodied AI

While terrestrial robotics companies battle over warehouse floors and factory lines, a quieter revolution is happening 250 miles above Earth. The International Space Station is becoming the proving ground for embodied AI systems that must operate in conditions where human intervention is expensive, dangerous, and sometimes impossible—offering insights that could reshape robotics back on Earth.

Creative Robotics4h agoOriginal

The Hardware Hustle: Why Consumer Tech Companies Are Suddenly Building Robots

From Honor's Robot Phone to Google's absorption of Intrinsic, consumer electronics giants are making unexpected pivots into robotics. This shift reveals less about robotics innovation and more about the existential crisis facing smartphone and device makers in an AI-saturated market.

Creative Robotics9h agoOriginal

The Stateful Revolution: Why Persistent Memory Is the Missing Link in AI's Production Problem

While the tech world fixates on funding rounds and model capabilities, a quieter transformation is underway in how AI systems actually work in production environments. The introduction of stateful runtime environments signals a fundamental shift from demo-ready chatbots to industrial-grade AI that can finally remember what it's doing.

Creative Robotics1d agoOriginal

The Accountability Awakening: Why AI Companies Are Finally Being Forced to Answer for What Happens Next

From OpenAI's pledge to notify authorities of threats to Canadian demands for safety changes, a seismic shift is underway in AI governance. After years of operating in a regulatory gray zone, AI companies are discovering that 'move fast and break things' has real-world consequences—and governments worldwide are demanding answers when those things that break are public safety protocols.

Creative Robotics1d agoOriginal

The Alphabet Homecoming: Why Google Is Reabsorbing Its Robotics Moonshots

Google's decision to fold Intrinsic back into its core operations marks a significant strategic shift in how tech giants approach robotics innovation. After years of the "Alphabet model"—spinning out ambitious projects into independent subsidiaries—the pendulum is swinging back toward centralization, revealing hard truths about what it actually takes to commercialize physical AI.

Creative Robotics2d agoOriginal

Latest News

Lenovo's robot concept can help you digitally sign documents (and maybe annoy coworkers)

Lenovo unveiled the AI Workmate Concept at MWC 2026, a desktop robot with an LCD face, Intel Core Ultra processor, and projector that uses on-device AI and LLMs to assist with office tasks like document scanning, summarization, and digital signing through voice commands and gestures. The robot features an articulated head that can project images onto desks or walls, and Lenovo also showed a companion AI Work Companion desk device with task management and burnout monitoring capabilities.

Engadget2h ago

Lenovo's ThinkPads get a spec bump at MWC 2026

Lenovo is updating its business-focused laptop lineup at MWC 2026. The best-selling ThinkPad T-series is getting a full refresh, and there's an updated ThinkBook 2-in-1 and an all-new Android tablet....

Engadget3h ago

Anthropic's Claude grabs top spot in App Store after Trump's ban

Anthropic may have lost out on doing business with the US government, but it's gained enough popularity to earn the number one spot on the App Store's Top Free Apps leaderboard. At the top, Claude bea...

Engadget6h ago

The US reportedly used Anthropic's AI for its attack on Iran, just after banning it

In a lengthy post on Truth Social on February 27, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to "immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology" following strong disagreements between the Depar...

Engadget8h ago

Everything announced at MWC 2026: Honor's Robot Phone, the new Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi, and more

Honor unveiled its Robot Phone at MWC 2026, featuring a 4-degrees-of-freedom gimbal-mounted 200MP camera that moves like a robotic head with gesture capabilities. The company also introduced the Honor Robot, a humanoid robot designed for both industrial and domestic applications, showcased with choreographed demonstrations at the event.

Engadget9h ago

A closer look at Honor's Robot Phone

Honor unveiled its Robot Phone at MWC 2026, featuring a pop-up camera gimbal with a 4-degrees-of-freedom robotic system that can nod, shake, and rotate 360 degrees. The company also showcased a humanoid robot companion that performed alongside the Robot Phone, with the device expected to launch later this year and featuring AI-powered camera tracking and cinematic imaging capabilities developed with ARRI.

Engadget11h ago

Leica's Leitzphone by Xiaomi has a huge 1-inch camera sensor and a stylish new design

Alongside a global launch for Xiaomi's 17 Ultra (read about that right here), the company announced a further deepening of its relationship with Leica. The CEO of Leica, Mattias Harsch, took to the st...

Engadget1d ago

Our agreement with the Department of War

Details on OpenAI's contract with the Department of War, outlining safety redlines, legal protections, and how AI systems will be deployed in classified environments.

OpenAI Blog1d ago

OpenAI strikes a deal with the Defense Department to deploy its AI models

OpenAI has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its AI models on the agency's classified networks, with safety principles including prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons included in the contract. The deal comes shortly after the Defense Secretary pressured Anthropic to remove guardrails from its models, which Anthropic refused; OpenAI claims it has agreed to the same safety terms that were offered to Anthropic.

Engadget1d ago

FCC approves the merger of cable giants Cox and Charter

The Federal Communications Commission has given the go ahead for two of the US' biggest cable providers, Charter Communications and Cox Communications, to merge. Charter announced its intention to acq...

Engadget2d ago

Trump orders federal agencies to drop Anthropic services amid Pentagon feud

President Trump ordered all US federal agencies to cease using Anthropic's Claude AI services within a six-month phase-out period, escalating a dispute with the Department of Defense over AI safeguards. The conflict centers on Anthropic's refusal to remove ethical constraints preventing Claude's use in mass surveillance and autonomous weapons systems, with the defense secretary previously threatening to label Anthropic a supply chain risk. The move has drawn opposition from advocacy groups and solidarity statements from Google and OpenAI employees, with OpenAI's CEO indicating his company would take the same ethical stance as Anthropic.

Engadget2d ago

Paramount agrees to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, pays Netflix $2.8 billion for breakup

Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are officially merging. The studio paid Netflix the $2.8 billion termination fee it was owed for breaking its original deal to buy Warner Bros. earlier to...

Engadget2d ago

MIT Technology Review is a 2026 ASME finalist in reporting

MIT Technology Review has been named a finalist for a 2026 National Magazine Award for its investigative reporting on AI's energy footprint and climate impact. The "Power Hungry" project, led by reporters James O'Donnell and Casey Crownhart, revealed previously undisclosed details about major AI companies' energy and water consumption, prompting OpenAI, Mistral, and Google to subsequently publish their own environmental impact figures.

MIT Technology Review AI2d ago

Google and OpenAI employees sign open letter in 'solidarity' with Anthropic

Hundreds of employees at Google and OpenAI have signed an open letter urging their companies to stand with Anthropic in its standoff with the Pentagon over military applications for AI tools like Clau...

Engadget2d ago

OpenAI secures another $110 billion in funding from Amazon, NVIDIA and SoftBank

OpenAI announced a $110 billion funding round led by Amazon ($50B), NVIDIA ($30B), and SoftBank ($30B), valuing the company at $730 billion. The funding includes strategic partnerships where AWS will serve as OpenAI's exclusive cloud distribution provider and both companies committed to significant computational capacity commitments, with Amazon's funding partially contingent on OpenAI achieving artificial general intelligence.

Engadget2d ago

Robot Talk Episode 146 - Embodied AI on the ISS, with Jamie Palmer

Robot Talk Episode 146 features an interview with Jamie Palmer, co-founder and CTO of Icarus Robotics, discussing embodied AI systems designed to perform routine and risky tasks in orbit on the International Space Station. The episode explores the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems for space applications.

Robohub2d ago

The Download: how AI is shaking up Go, and a cybersecurity mystery

This newsletter covers how AI has fundamentally changed the game of Go, with AlphaGo's victory over Lee Sedol a decade ago leading players to study and replicate AI strategies rather than developing their own, while also democratizing training access. The article also discusses Anthropic's refusal to work with the Pentagon on mass surveillance and lethal autonomous weapons, and includes a brief mention of ChatGPT Health failing to recognize medical emergencies in diagnostic scenarios.

MIT Technology Review AI2d ago

OpenAI will notify authorities of credible threats after Canada mass shooter's second account was discovered

OpenAI has vowed to strengthen its safety protocols and to notify law enforcement of credible threats sooner in a letter addressed to Canadian authorities, according to Politico and The Washington Pos...

Engadget2d ago

AI is rewiring how the world's best Go players think

AI programs like AlphaGo and KataGo have fundamentally transformed professional Go, with top players now training to replicate AI-suggested moves rather than developing their own strategies. The technology has overturned centuries-old principles in the game while democratizing training access, though debate continues about whether this shift has diminished the game's creativity. Current world champion Shin Jin-seo matches AI moves 37.5% of the time and expresses optimism about potentially defeating the original AlphaGo in a commemorative rematch.

MIT Technology Review AI2d ago

Anthropic refuses to bow to Pentagon despite Hegseth's threats

Despite an ultimatum from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Anthropic said that it can't "in good conscience" comply with a Pentagon edict to remove guardrails on its AI, CEO Dario Amodei wrote in a blo...

Engadget2d ago

OpenAI and Amazon announce strategic partnership

OpenAI and Amazon announced a multi-year strategic partnership including a $50 billion investment from Amazon, with AWS becoming the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI's Frontier AI agent platform. The companies are jointly developing a Stateful Runtime Environment powered by OpenAI models on Amazon Bedrock, with OpenAI committing to consume 2 gigawatts of AWS Trainium compute capacity to support enterprise AI applications and agents at scale.

OpenAI Blog2d ago

Introducing the Stateful Runtime Environment for Agents in Amazon Bedrock

OpenAI and Amazon have jointly launched a Stateful Runtime Environment for AI agents in Amazon Bedrock, designed to handle multi-step workflows with persistent state, memory, and governance for production deployments. This new capability simplifies deploying AI agents for complex tasks like customer support, sales operations, and IT automation by automatically managing orchestration, context, and tool invocation across multiple steps rather than requiring developers to build these systems manually.

OpenAI Blog2d ago

Netflix backs out of Warner Bros. Discovery bidding war

For anyone who has been following the soap opera unfolding between Netflix and Paramount Skydance over the past few months in their financial brinksmanship to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the saga...

Engadget3d ago

Joint Statement from OpenAI and Microsoft

OpenAI and Microsoft issued a joint statement clarifying that their partnership remains unchanged following OpenAI's announcement of a new strategic partnership with Amazon. The statement confirms that Microsoft retains its exclusive license to OpenAI's IP, exclusive cloud provider status for stateless APIs, and unchanged revenue-sharing arrangements, while OpenAI maintains flexibility to pursue additional compute infrastructure and partnerships elsewhere.

OpenAI Blog2d ago

Scaling AI for everyone

OpenAI announced a $110 billion funding round at a $730 billion pre-money valuation, with major investments from SoftBank ($30B), NVIDIA ($30B), and Amazon ($50B), along with strategic partnerships to expand AI infrastructure and global reach. The company reported significant user growth across its products, including 1.6M weekly Codex users, 9M paying ChatGPT business users, and over 900M weekly active ChatGPT users with 50M+ consumer subscribers, as it aims to scale frontier AI systems for broader adoption.

OpenAI Blog2d ago

An update on our mental health-related work

OpenAI shares updates on its mental health safety work, including parental controls, trusted contacts, improved distress detection, and recent litigation developments.

OpenAI Blog3d ago

An AI-generated Resident Evil Requiem review briefly made it on Metacritic

Review aggregator Metacritic has removed a review of Resident Evil Requiem because it was AI-generated, Kotaku reports. The review was published by UK gaming site VideoGamer, but appears to be "writte...

Engadget3d ago

Burger King will use AI to monitor employee 'friendliness'

Burger King is rolling out an AI-powered voice assistant in employee headsets that monitors workers' use of friendly phrases like 'welcome,' 'please,' and 'thank you' to track location 'friendliness' performance. The OpenAI-based chatbot, called 'Patty,' also handles meal prep questions and inventory management, with plans to expand to all U.S. locations by end of 2026 after piloting in 500 restaurants.

Engadget3d ago

Nano Banana 2: Combining Pro capabilities with lightning-fast speed

Google DeepMind has launched Nano Banana 2, a new AI image generation model that combines advanced capabilities from Nano Banana Pro with the speed of Gemini Flash. The model features improved world knowledge, precision text rendering, subject consistency, and is rolling out across Google products including Gemini, Search, and Ads.

DeepMind Blog3d ago

Tim Cook confirms a week of Apple product reveals

Apple CEO Tim Cook has teased "a big week ahead" for Apple, starting on the morning of Monday, March 2. The company had already announced an in-person event for media and creators on March 4, while ru...

Engadget3d ago

AI robotics company started by Alphabet is joining Google proper

Intrinsic, an AI robotics company started by Alphabet, is being folded into Google as a distinct group to advance physical AI in manufacturing. The company develops software tools and adaptive intelligence platforms to make robots more affordable and easier to use, positioning itself as 'the Android of robotics' for developers building applications across different robotic hardware and sensors.

Engadget3d ago

I developed an app that uses drone footage to track plastic litter on beaches

Researchers at the University of Limerick developed a drone-based system combining aerial surveillance with machine learning algorithms to detect and map plastic litter on beaches. The technology uses computer vision to identify plastic as small as 1cm from 30 meters altitude, paired with a free mobile app that provides volunteers with GPS coordinates for targeted cleanup efforts.

Robohub3d ago

NVIDIA updates Shield TV after pledging further support

NVIDIA is a very busy company, and between all the graphics cards and AI-chasing, it wouldn't be wholly surprising to see the company forget about its more niche offerings, such as the Android-powered...

Engadget3d ago

This company claims a battery breakthrough. Now they need to prove it.

When a company claims to have created what's essentially the holy grail of batteries, there are bound to be some questions. Interest has been swirling since Donut Lab, a Finnish company, announced las...

MIT Technology Review AI3d ago

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and OpenAI partner to accelerate federal permitting

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and OpenAI have introduced DraftNEPABench, a benchmark designed to evaluate how AI coding agents can accelerate federal environmental permitting processes. The benchmark aims to demonstrate AI's potential to significantly reduce the time required for drafting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents.

OpenAI Blog3d ago

OpenAI Codex and Figma launch seamless code-to-design experience

OpenAI and Figma launch a new Codex integration that connects code and design, enabling teams to move between implementation and the Figma canvas to iterate and ship faster.

OpenAI Blog3d ago

Canadian government demands safety changes from OpenAI

Canadian government officials summoned OpenAI leadership to Ottawa to address safety concerns about ChatGPT, specifically criticizing the company for failing to notify authorities when it banned a user allegedly involved in a mass shooting in British Columbia. Justice Minister Sean Fraser warned that if OpenAI does not implement safety changes quickly, the government will impose its own regulations, while officials demanded clarification on the company's protocols for escalating potential threats to law enforcement.

Engadget4d ago

How CMU Built a World-Leading Robotics Ecosystem

Carnegie Mellon University is opening the Robotics Innovation Center (RIC), a 150,000-square-foot facility designed to scale research in autonomous systems and robotics for extreme environments. The center represents the culmination of over 40 years of CMU's robotics research spanning applications from deep ocean to lunar exploration.

CMU Robotics Institute4d ago

Anthropic weakens its safety pledge in the wake of the Pentagon's pressure campaign

Anthropic has weakened its Responsible Scaling Policy, moving away from hard safety tripwires to a more flexible approach with Risk Reports and Frontier Safety Roadmaps. The policy change comes amid reported Pentagon pressure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding unrestricted military access to Claude, with threats of invoking the Defense Production Act if the company does not comply by Friday.

Engadget4d ago

Google announces new Android AI features coming to the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 series

Google announced new AI features powered by Gemini for Android devices, including task automation for multi-step processes like food ordering and rideshare booking, enhanced Circle to Search for multi-object recognition with virtual try-on capabilities, and on-device scam detection for calls and messages. These features are rolling out to the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 series with varying availability by market and feature.

Engadget4d ago