Full episode · 1 h 13 m
What Happens When AI Gets A Human Body?
Andrew Kiguel and Matt McMullen argue that humanoid robots should prioritize conversation and companionship over factory work and walking.
Core Memory · Ashlee Vance with Andrew Kiguel and Matt McMullen
The best minutes
Summary · 3 min read
Andrew Kiguel leads Realbotix, which combines AI software with humanoid robot hardware. Matt McMullen, a robot designer who describes himself as an artist, traces his work from lifelike figures and RealDoll to AI companions.
Kiguel says Realbotix focuses on human interaction, with robots for customer service, companionship, health care and education rather than physical labor. McMullen describes a design process that starts with human appearance, while Kiguel says the company prioritizes vision and autonomy over walking. They argue that embodied robots could support people who are lonely or isolated and serve hotels, schools and care facilities. They also discuss the company’s RealDoll roots, product pricing, AI capabilities, competition and plans for more practical tasks.
Minute by minute
- 5:49
Design starts with the human form. Matt McMullen says he is an artist drawn to lifelike figures and began exploring robotics around 2016. Rather than build a machine and add a human appearance later, he says he works from the human form inward; Realbotix uses wheeled bases so its robots can wear regular clothes.
- 12:04
Walking is not the priority. Kiguel says the uncanny valley makes realistic robots difficult to get right and points to hospitals, care facilities, schools, hotels and malls as potential markets. He argues that walking is inefficient and says Realbotix is focused on autonomous robots that can see and respond.
- 15:00
Faces are modular. McMullen says he designed removable faces with magnetic attachments so the team can reach the mechanisms for repairs and use different faces on one robot. Kiguel says customers can choose different characters, and the company can scan and replicate a person with that person’s permission.
- 23:37
Prices target broader use. Kiguel says the bust model costs about $20,000; the M-Series has about 39 degrees of freedom and plugs into a standard outlet, while the F-Series has about 52 and a motorized wheelbase. He says the company aims to cut prices by about 50% in the next few years and eventually sell a robot like these for about $30,000.
- 26:13
AI reshaped companion robots. McMullen says the early AI used scripted responses, while large language models added more flexible conversation, humor and voices. Kiguel says the robots can remember details about users and can run Realbotix’s AI or another provider’s model. He says Realbotix is a commercial-use business separate from the direct-to-consumer company focused on physical intimacy.
- 46:39
Human-like touch shapes design. McMullen says Realbotix values how a hand feels in human interaction, not only what tasks it can perform. Kiguel says the company developed its vision system and cameras in the robots’ eyes, and says the AI can interpret facial cues and situations and respond to them.
- 53:47
Autonomy matters more than realism. Kiguel says Realbotix received 4 billion media impressions during the month of CES and describes leaving a robot operating in a Times Square store for six days, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. He says he wants people to recognize the machines as robots, because highly realistic skin paired with less-realistic movement can feel unsettling.
- 1:00:31
Small tasks beat walking. Kiguel says the roadmap includes hands for tasks such as feeding someone, typing on an iPad and opening a pillbox, while walking is not a current priority. He says Realbotix can use other companies’ AI models and sees its role as integrating AI with its robot platform.
- 1:04:23
Kiguel questions robot valuations. Kiguel says China is ahead in robotics but argues that Realbotix can compete through its design, materials and ability to integrate third-party AI. He cites a public valuation of about $40 million for Realbotix and an approximately $40 billion valuation for Figure, and says he considers his company undervalued and doubts some private valuations will hold.
- 1:08:49
AI personalities offer user controls. Kiguel says the company is developing an AI for adult conversation that could act as a friend, romantic partner or mentor. He says users will be able to adjust traits such as foul language on a slider and save different personalities to switch between.
Published Oct 14, 2026.
