OpenAI launches dedicated robotics team

OpenAI is expanding beyond software development by building its first dedicated robotics team and hiring hardware specialists.

Key Development: OpenAI’s technical staff member Caitlin Kalinowski announced on X that the company is recruiting for its first hardware robotics positions.

• The company is seeking an EE sensing engineer to design sensor suites for robots
• A robotics mechanical design engineer position is open to work on components like gears, actuators, motors, and linkages
• Kalinowski, who joined OpenAI two months ago after leading AR glasses development at Meta, will head the robotics and consumer hardware initiatives

Strategic Focus: The robotics team aims to develop general-purpose robots and advance artificial general intelligence (AGI) capabilities in real-world environments.

• The team will work across the entire model stack, combining advanced hardware and software
• Multiple robotic form factors will be explored as part of the development process
• The initiative seeks to integrate high-level AI capabilities with physical hardware constraints

Industry Context: OpenAI’s move into robotics represents a significant expansion of its hardware ambitions and could reshape existing partnerships.

• The company previously collaborated with former Apple designer Jony Ive on hardware projects
• OpenAI has an existing partnership with Figure, providing AI models for their humanoid robots
• This internal robotics division could potentially position OpenAI as a competitor to Figure, similar to its complex relationship with Microsoft as both partner and competitor

Market Implications: The development of an in-house robotics division signals OpenAI’s intention to control both the software and hardware aspects of its AI implementation, potentially creating new competitive dynamics in the robotics industry.

• This vertical integration strategy could give OpenAI more control over how its AI models are physically implemented
• The company’s expansion into hardware development suggests a long-term vision for AI that extends beyond cloud-based services
• The move may influence existing partnerships and future collaborations in the robotics sector