All the world's a robot-staging ground for tech entrepreneurs building 'physical AI' (opens original article in a new tab)

Tech entrepreneurs are shifting focus from AI chatbots to 'world models' that enable AI and robots to interact with physical environments, attracting investor interest.

• Computer scientist Louis Castricato left academia to found Overworld, aiming to develop AI that understands and navigates physical environments.
• Fei-Fei Li and Yann LeCun are among leading figures promoting 'world models' that enable AI to predict actions' consequences and interact with physical spaces.
• Investors are backing startups like Overworld and Causal Labs, focusing on creating interactive virtual worlds and physical AI through specialized models.