AI Giants Eye Robotics: The Next Frontier?

AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI are making significant acquisition plays this year. OpenAI has acquired at least 17 companies since 2023, while Anthropic has made four. Both are also preparing for initial public offerings.

A recent rumor indicated Anthropic was in talks to acquire Physical Intelligence, a robotics startup. Although Physical Intelligence's CEO denied the acquisition, The Information reported that acquisition talks did occur this spring.

This focus on robotics is strategic, as understanding the physical world is considered a prerequisite for superintelligent systems. OpenAI notably restarted its robotics lab in San Francisco earlier this year, aiming for infrastructure work and eventually personal robots.

Anthropic, while not building hardware labs, has researched AI's role in robotics. Acquiring a team with expertise, like Physical Intelligence, could accelerate their development significantly. However, OpenAI itself is an early investor in Physical Intelligence, complicating potential acquisitions by its rival.

Questions remain about whether OpenAI's investment includes preferential rights in such a scenario, potentially giving them a stronger claim to Physical Intelligence than Anthropic.