Hugging Face launching robotics project with former Tesla scientist

Hugging Face appears to be the latest AI player joining the robotics race, as a former Tesla scientist says he’s starting an “ambitious” open-source robotics project at the AI tech platform.

“After 3 years @tesla and Optimus, I am thrilled to announce that I joined Hugging Face to start an ambitious open robotics project! (open as in open-source, not as in Open AI) Looking for engineers to build real robots in Paris,” AI researcher Remi Cadene announced on X, formerly Twitter.

Also: OpenAI partners with startup to create advanced AI models for humanoid robots

Previously, Cadene worked on self-driving vehicle technology and humanoid robots at Tesla.

Hugging Face is an open-source platform that provides a large repository for AI tools and pre-trained models, though most focus on natural language processing (NLP) tech. The site also works as a place for developers and users to convene and build a community around machine learning and AI, maintaining its open-source collaboration focus.

Though Hugging Face hasn’t confirmed that it’s entering the robotics market, the Hugging Face X account has reposted Cadene’s announcement and other posts discussing the new venture. Also, Hugging Face appears to have posted a job listing for an Embodied Robotics Engineer in France.

“In this role, you will be responsible for designing, building, and maintaining open-source and low-cost robotic systems that integrate AI technologies, specifically in deep learning and embodied AI,” the job posting reads. “You will collaborate closely with ML engineers, researchers, and product teams to develop innovative solutions that push the boundaries of what’s possible in robotics and AI.”

Also: Microsoft confirms next Windows, Surface, and AI event. Here’s what to expect

This news comes a few months after Tesla released a video of its humanoid robot project, Optimus. In an unrelated development,  OpenAI is partnering with Figure, an AI robotics company that has received $675 million in Series B funding and is developing autonomous humanoid robots.