Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT three-and-a-half years ago, the world has grown familiar with large language models. The technology is speeding up and augmenting activities ranging from life admin and research to medical diagnoses. AI’s true potential, however, extends well beyond clever chatbots.
Beyond generating digital content, machines fitted with AI can independently carry out physical actions in the real world using cameras and sensors. Examples of applications include intelligent equipment, autonomous vehicles and humanoids. They use “world models” — systems that understand how objects move, interact and respond, as opposed to LLMs, which are more akin to predictive text engines — and are trained using real and simulated data.