The AI model was trained on a massive database of text, images, and videos, which Skild AI claims is 1000 times larger than those used by its competitors. The company faces competition from other robotics companies, but differentiates itself through its access to large amounts of data. The founders aim to disrupt the robotics industry and envision a future where different use cases and products can be built on top of Skild’s foundational model.
Key takeaways:
- Skild AI, founded by former Carnegie Mellon University professors Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta, has developed a "general purpose brain" for robots, enabling them to perform tasks like climbing steep slopes and identifying and picking up items.
- The company has raised $300 million at a $1.5 billion valuation in a Series A funding round led by Lightspeed Ventures, Softbank, Coatue and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, among others.
- Skild AI's AI model has been trained on a massive database of text, images and video, which the company claims is 1000 times larger than those used by its rivals. The model also demonstrated "emergent capabilities" — entirely new abilities they weren’t taught.
- Despite facing competition from other robotics companies, Skild AI aims to disrupt the industry by building different use cases and products on top of its foundational model, with the ultimate goal of achieving artificial general intelligence for robots.