Better than Tesla? How Xpeng wants to become a global AI company

Guangzhou. Sleek, with swaying hips, robot lady "Iron" strides across the stage in a tight-fitting white one-piece - like a model on the catwalk, countless cameras pointed at her. Her creator He Xiaopeng stands visibly proud next to her on stage.

The catwalk at the AI day of the e-car start-up and Tesla competitor Xpeng will cause a stir in the network world and, in view of the smooth movements, raise the question of whether there is a real person in the suit. Such tricks are familiar from the first appearance of "Optimus", Tesla's robot, when an actor appeared in a costume in 2021.

"No, of course not," replies He Xiaopeng, co-founder of Xpeng. The second generation of "Iron" is still in the development phase, but a real robot was shown on stage, he says. Mass production is set to begin as early as next year, following the example of Tesla.

It's a big bet on a completely new market. Xpeng boss He speaks of "a gigantic leap forward". The company not only wants to be a "pioneer of mobility in the world of physical AI", but also a "global company for embodied AI".

The state leadership in Beijing has written "embodied AI" into its new five-year plan as an industry of the future and is strongly promoting the sector. According to estimates by investment bank Morgan Stanley, 300 million human-like robots could be in use in China alone by 2050, although there are still doubts about the technology.

Praise from competitor Elon Musk

The evening after the demonstration with robot lady "Iron", discussions about her authenticity boil over on social media. Doubts also remain among the audience present.

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