TikTok owner ByteDance has launched a recruitment drive for senior specialists in embodied intelligence, signalling its growing ambition in the development of humanoid robots.
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Volcano Engine, the Beijing-based tech unicorn’s cloud computing division, was offering a monthly salary of 95,000 yuan (US$13,328) to 120,000 yuan, according to a job posting. It marked the company’s clearest move into humanoid robotics as it specifically sought humanoid specialists rather than general robotics experts.
According to listings on Chinese hiring websites, the role involved conducting research on operational algorithms, pre-training large language models and integrating hardware for humanoid robots. Candidates were required to hold a master’s or doctoral degree in computer science, automation, artificial intelligence and other related disciplines.
Other Chinese AI giants, including Alibaba Group Holding, are also investing in humanoid robotics, which is increasingly seen as a critical arena for applying AI. Alibaba owns the Post.
Wang Xingxing, founder of Chinese humanoid robotics maker Unitree Robotics, said in Shanghai on Wednesday that this field was “one to three years away from its own ChatGPT moment” – a breakthrough after which a humanoid robot could perform 80 per cent of tasks through voice or text commands.
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