Superintelligence in Robots · Part of The Humanoid Group
Big AI questions, grounded in real robots.
Some labs now talk openly of superintelligence while robots still struggle with household chores. Read what the evidence and safety research say, then meet real robots on The Humanoid Group.
SafeWorld raises $12.2 million to test in simulation how robots behave around people
· Funding
SafeWorld, an AI lab co-founded by Ding Zhao, director of Carnegie Mellon's Safe AI Lab, came out of stealth with $12.2 million in seed funding co-led by Shine Capital and a16z Speedrun. Its software simulates rare and dangerous situations to test robots around people, with early pilots at carmakers, warehouse automation companies and medical device makers.
Why it matters: Rare, dangerous situations are hard to test with physical trials alone. Simulation results may become part of the safety evidence buyers expect before robots work near staff, so ask vendors what they have tested.
At the UN, Guterres says killer robots have no place as Trump rejects global AI controls
· Policy
Opening the UN General Assembly debate, Secretary-General António Guterres called for more oversight of AI and said life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines, citing a new UN science report on AI risks. US President Donald Trump rejected any global scheme to control AI and said the technology should now be called super intelligence.
Why it matters: Leaders disagree on whether advanced AI and autonomous machines need global rules. Organisations deploying AI-driven robots across borders should plan for national rules that differ, rather than one international standard.
EU's AI Act overhaul routes AI rules for machines through the Machinery Regulation
· Policy
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, the Digital Omnibus on AI, was published in the EU's Official Journal. It moves high-risk AI duties for AI built into regulated products to 2 August 2028, and shifts machinery to a separate list, so the AI Act's requirements for machines will arrive through Machinery Regulation delegated acts due by that date.
Why it matters: Makers and users of AI-driven robots in Europe get more time, but the requirements will come through machinery law. Safety files should track the Machinery Regulation and the harmonised standards being written for it.
International AI Safety Report 2025— International AI Safety Report (expert panel backed by 30 countries, the UN, EU and OECD). The first government-backed scientific review of what general-purpose AI can do and the risks it poses.
OECD AI Principles— Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD.AI). The first intergovernmental standard on AI, adopted in 2019 and updated in 2024, with values and policy recommendations.
AI Security Institute— UK Government (GOV.UK). The UK government body that researches and tests the risks posed by advanced AI.
A Principled AI Discussion in Asilomar— Future of Life Institute (non-profit). How researchers at the 2017 Asilomar conference agreed 23 principles for beneficial AI, including long-term safety.
Center for Human-Compatible AI— University of California, Berkeley. UC Berkeley research centre working towards provably beneficial AI, and home of the off-switch research.
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