Key Takeaways

Humanoid robots like Neo offer impressive capabilities but are currently dependent on human oversight.
In caregiving, understanding emotions and context is crucial for robots to provide effective assistance.
True autonomy for machines requires breakthroughs in perception, intent, and data protection.
Society must redefine comfort with machines in our homes to ensure privacy and trust.

True autonomy is the only way machines can belong to us

The emergence of humanoid robots, such as Neo from 1X Technologies, signifies an exciting vision for the future of living with machines. However, a critical examination reveals that true autonomy is essential for these devices to genuinely belong to us. From dependency on human control to issues of data ownership, this article explores the implications of introducing robots into our homes, especially in caregiving scenarios.

The Rise of Humanoid Robots

When 1X Technologies introduced its humanoid robot, Neo, it quickly dominated headlines. Promoted as the first home-ready humanoid and available for preorder at around $20,000, Neo represents a revolutionary concept: a physical assistant capable of cleaning, carrying, and learning. While this innovation is intriguing, it is not the groundbreaking advancement many have anticipated; full autonomy is still some way off.

Currently, humans are still controlling Neo to a significant extent. It's not simply a matter of the robot's intelligence; it raises larger questions about who is actually interpreting and managing the data it collects from our homes, and how securely that information is protected.

Neo's capabilities, as remarkable as they are, rely heavily on teleoperation. This means that human operators guide many of its functionalities in real-time, assisting the robot in navigating spaces, handling objects, and completing tasks it has yet to master independently. This reliance on human input indicates that your personal assistant isn’t as personalized as it might seem, and the level of privacy you hope to achieve isn’t fully attainable. Essentially, these advanced devices are still tethered to human reasoning and connected to a system that learns about your home and retains that data.

The Need for Trust and Understanding

The potential impact of humanoid robots is particularly significant in areas like elder care. Robots such as Neo can help with daily tasks, provide companionship, or even monitor health for aging individuals. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and parts of Europe are already piloting similar initiatives.

When examining these situations, it's essential to differentiate between assistance and authentic care. While robots can perform basic tasks like lifting a patient or initiating small talk, they lack a comprehensive understanding of context, intention, and emotion. They might track your heart rate, movements, and voice, but they fail to grasp the nuanced understanding of a person’s needs. Unless the information generated is securely stored within a personal system, it cannot be regarded as being truly yours.

The Illusion of Autonomy

Recent advancements in humanoid technology, from Figure AI’s Figure 02 to Tesla’s Optimus, promise a new era in which machines take on jobs that are dull, dirty, or dangerous. Neo, however, illustrates a closer connection to everyday life. This goes beyond mere productivity; it encompasses companionship and assistance.

As robots begin to integrate themselves into our homes, considerations about trust, capability, and readiness grow increasingly important. A robot in your living room does more than take care of household chores—it witnesses your life. Therefore, when Neo eventually becomes fully autonomous, the question remains: what becomes of the data it collects while functioning on your behalf?

In a work environment, constant monitoring is expected, but when it comes to home care—particularly for individuals who require ongoing assistance—the stakes are considerably higher. Homes are spaces where care, attention, and dignity intersect. Robots must navigate complex human emotions, timing, and needs. Most importantly, they need to provide complete discretion and ownership—not just of the physical machine, but also of the data it gathers. If the data from a robot is streamed to networks controlled by its manufacturer rather than by the homeowner, the line between assistance and surveillance becomes blurred.

Pathways to Genuine Progress

For embodied AI to achieve the advancements realized with language models, it must fully grasp intent, emotion, context, and, notably, discretion.

Interpreting what a person truly wants goes beyond merely following instructions; it requires a deep understanding of tone, environment, and timing—implicit cues that guide human interaction.

Breakthroughs in multimodal perception and device-based reasoning will be crucial for this progress. While language models can simulate conversation, true physical intelligence demands a grounded understanding: the ability to connect perception with safe and ethical action. This grounding must also extend to data management; AI acting on your behalf should prioritize the storage and protection of your data rather than utilizing it as a resource for others' training.

Until robots can comprehend the rationale behind human commands—not just the mechanics of execution—human oversight will remain vital, especially in caregiving, where errors can have severe consequences.

Rethinking Our Relationship with Machines

Before humanoid robots can truly integrate into daily life, society must redefine its level of comfort with them. Transitioning from screens to embodied intelligence will feel more personal than moving from desktop to mobile. Robots residing within our spaces will observe what we see and hear, sometimes understanding us better than we understand ourselves.

The potential advantages are significant: they could greatly assist in addressing critical issues such as providing care where human resources are limited, helping individuals maintain independence, and reducing feelings of isolation. Nevertheless, this intimacy also results in new vulnerabilities. Until technology can operate locally, think independently, and secure your information by default, these devices will serve two masters: you and the network that built them.

Ultimately, this close relationship also reveals what these machines still lack: a holistic understanding of attention and compassion that characterizes effective caregiving. Until they can fully grasp these nuances, their role should be seen as an aid rather than a replacement for human interaction. The first generation of home robots will undoubtedly be powerful tools, but they remain instruments guided by human intent.

Genuine autonomy transforms technology from a simple tool into something that genuinely serves its user. Until robots can think and safeguard data with the same independence they exercise in action, the future will continue to rely on human direction.

Opinion by: David Tomasian, CEO of Curious.