We've seen what AI can do on screens creating art, chatting and writing. Now, experts say it won't be long before we're interacting with AI-powered robots in the real world every day. MIT professor Daniela Rus talks about what's possible.

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Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory are working to advance the capabilities of AI-powered robots, aiming to make them more adaptable to everyday human environments. Currently, most robots are limited to repetitive tasks and require extensive training to perform even simple actions, such as pouring a glass of lemonade.

The team is developing methods to teach robots by collecting data from human movements and using sensors to understand the forces involved in tasks. While the technology is progressing, researchers emphasize that robots are still tools created by people for people, and safety measures, such as emergency stop buttons, are always included. The ultimate goal is for AI and robots to extend human abilities, but significant technical challenges remain before they become a routine part of daily life.

Why AI-powered robots could soon be part of daily life

Good morning. If you want to be amazed. Can you see my face? Or maybe a little alarmed. Yes, I can see your face. Consider the brave new world of robots. Some are almost reassuringly human. While others, a little freaky. But guess what? The robots that we have today are primarily demonstrations. Daniela Rus leads MIT's famed Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence lab. She explained how, for all the hype out there, researchers are actually still figuring out the artificial brains these machines need to navigate our physical world. It's not so hard to get the robot to do a task once. But to get that robot to do the task repeatedly, in human-centered environments where things change around the robot all the time, that is very hard. So despite how easy science fiction has made it all seem, the science reality of Rosie the Robot is still a lot more like Ruby here. Ruby, can you make some lemonade, please? A humanoid robot bought off the shelf and then painstakingly trained to complete what only looks like Not bad. Not bad at all. Look at that. a simple task. Whoa. We collect data from how humans do the tasks. We are then able to teach machines how to do those tasks in a human-like fashion. Great. So Ruby, let's pour a glass of lemonade for Tony. It's a bit messy. Not bad. Not bad. While our human brains come preloaded with all sorts of talents for the physical world, Roos' students have to teach the AI even the simplest of moves, wearing sensors like these. So you can tell how tense they're holding something or how stiff their arms are, and you can get a sense of the forces involved in these physical tasks that we're trying to learn. So this is where delicate versus strong gets learned. So this robot, Ruby, learned to scoop from you wearing that. Exactly. Elsewhere in the lab, Roos explained how today's existing robots are often way more limited than you might think. The robots we have in industrial settings essentially do the same thing over and over and over again. We are interested in having robots do more for us. This robot arm, for example, has grips that in the future may be used for household chores or in medical settings. But even when AI is helping design and build it, the finished product might give you a newfound respect for the human hand. And so here you see the gripping operation. And then you need to have another degree of freedom that can push the syringe down. This is like the thumb. That's the thumb, exactly. The future, though, is always on the way. So I like to think about AI and robots as giving people superpowers. So with AI, we get cognitive superpowers. So think about getting speed, knowledge, insight, creativity, foresight. On the physical side, we can use machines to extend our reach, to refine our precision, to amplify our strength. And you should rest assured, Ruz tells us, there's a simple idea for handling the risks. When we talk about robots in the home, people immediately think of the Terminator, the robot turning on humanity. I imagine myself 20 years from now trying to fall asleep in a house with multiple autonomous robots. And I don't know if I sleep as peacefully as I do right now. All the machines we build have the red button. So if you're not happy with your machine, you just push the red button and that stops the machine. Okay. AI and robots are tools. They are tools created by the people for the people. And like any other tools, they're not inherently good or bad. They are what we choose to do with them. And I believe we can choose to do extraordinary things.

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Why AI-powered robots could soon be part of daily life

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