ACE Robotics predicts embodied AI ChatGPT moment

On August 21, 2026, Zhang Xiaogang, chairman of Chinese embodied AI startup ACE Robotics, predicted that humanoid robot brains could reach a 'ChatGPT moment' by the end of 2027, driven by world models and environmental data capture. He noted that broad commercial implementation would take another four to five years. ACE Robotics, founded in July 2025 and backed by Ant Group and SenseTime, has raised over $100 million in the first half of 2026 and plans an IPO as early as permitted. Its open-source Kairos-4B model ranks first globally by public benchmarks, outperforming Nvidia's Cosmos 3 and Ant Group's Lingbot. The company is scaling data collection using workers on production lines with lightweight sensors, aiming for tens of millions of hours of data within two years. ACE is deploying its models in commercial settings such as unmanned retail stores, hotel services, and delivery warehouses, planning to expand to 1,000 stores in a year and 10,000 in two years. It uses AI chips from Nvidia and Chinese makers Rhino Tech and NUWA Robotics. Other companies like Unitree Robotics and Square Associates are also developing embodied AI models, with Unitree Robotics's founder predicting a breakthrough in two to three years.