Tesla's Optimus Robot Integrates Grok AI, but Demo Falls Short of Expectations

Tesla's Optimus robot with Grok shown on video. We're not impressed.

The video, shared by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, shows the next-gen Optimus in new, gold attire, with several new visual details including more human-like hands. More importantly, Optimus now features Grok's voice mode, meaning it can understand user queries and answer them with spoken replies. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The video, however, will hardly impress anyone, as Optimus appears slow to respond, requiring several vocal nudges to start performing a fairly simple task -- going to the kitchen and fetching a Coke. The robot takes a few sluggish steps, presumably towards said kitchen, but the video ends before we can see if Optimus can actually fetch the beverage. The video shows some progress from earlier instances of Optimus we've seen, such as the human-assisted versions shown during Tesla's "We, Robot" event last year or the popcorn-serving robots at LA's Tesla Diner. But it's not the kind of demonstration that will make you think Tesla will be selling millions of these anytime soon. Benioff, for one, seems to be impressed, calling it a "productivity game-changer" that will be "tackling human work for $200K-$500K." Coincidentally (or perhaps not), Benioff recently cut 4,000 customer service jobs at Salesforce, with AI agents stepping in instead. Optimus is still in prototype stage, and we might see more iterations as it nears production, which is scheduled to start in 2026. The demonstration comes shortly after Tesla shared the fourth instance of its Master Plan, a fairly vague document that seems to put a lot of weight on Optimus as Tesla's most important product going forward. Musk previously said that Tesla plans to sell millions of units per year within four to five years.

Tesla Optimus robot integrates xAI Grok assistant

Tesla's Optimus now talks with Grok -- demo shows progress, but far from prime time. Tesla's Optimus robot now integrates xAI's AI assistant, Grok. A video demonstration, however, suggests the technology is still in development, despite aspirations for Optimus to become Tesla's leading product. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff shared a video on X showcasing the next-generation Optimus robot. The updated model features a gold exterior and more detailed, human-like hands. A key addition is Grok's voice mode, enabling Optimus to understand and respond to spoken commands. The video illustrates that Optimus requires multiple prompts to initiate a simple task, specifically, retrieving a Coke from the kitchen. The robot then proceeds with slow steps, although the video concludes before the task is completed. This demonstration marks progress when compared to earlier versions of Optimus. Previous iterations included human-assisted robots presented at Tesla's "We, Robot" event and robots serving popcorn at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles. The improvements notwithstanding, the current demonstration does not indicate near-term mass production readiness. Benioff characterized Optimus as a potential "productivity game-changer" capable of performing human tasks at a cost of $200,000 to $500,000. This statement comes after Salesforce recently eliminated 4,000 customer service positions, replacing them with AI agents. Currently, Optimus remains in the prototype phase. Production is projected to commence in 2026. The demonstration occurred shortly after Tesla released its fourth Master Plan, which emphasizes the significance of Optimus as a central product focus. Elon Musk has stated Tesla's intention to achieve sales of millions of Optimus units annually within four to five years.