Yes, OpenAI is building a humanoid robot. CEO Sam Altman has said so directly, "We will definitely do a humanoid," and told Fortune he expects "a cool demonstration" in 2027.
There is no product, name, price or release date yet. But OpenAI's job board, now listing 27 robotics roles paying up to $500,000, shows the company building its own robot hardware, not just the AI inside it.
Quick facts
- Confirmed by: Sam Altman, on the Sources podcast (reported by Forbes on September 3, 2026) and in an interview with Fortune in mid-September
- First demo: "in 2027," Altman said
- Everyday use: "several more years" after that, by his own estimate
- Robotics job openings: 27, up from 11 on May 1, according to Business Insider
- Pay: about $177,000 to $500,000 base salary
- Not announced: name, design, price, release date, what it will do first
Is OpenAI making a robot?
Yes. Asked whether OpenAI's hardware ambitions meant a humanoid or a machine for data centres, Altman answered: "Both. We will definitely do a humanoid. We will do other form factors as well."
His reasoning is practical. The world is "very much designed for people," he said, so a robot built like a person can use the same doors, tools and workspaces. And he said the body matters less than "the brain that makes the robot work," which is where OpenAI's AI models come in.
When will the OpenAI robot be released?
Not soon. "I think in 2027 we will have a cool demonstration," Altman told Fortune. He also said he does not expect humanoid robots to be walking around in daily life for several years after that.
A demo is a showcase, not a launch, and OpenAI has given no date for anything you could buy.
What will it do?
OpenAI has not said exactly. The near-term focus described in reports is general-purpose robots that help skilled workers build infrastructure; Altman has mentioned data centres as a possible first use. The longer-term idea is broader.
"I think everyone should have a personal robot," Altman said, while calling that "not the most important first thing to do."
What the job listings reveal
OpenAI is hiring for the hard, physical parts of robot-making. According to Business Insider and Engadget, the postings cover:
- Custom electromechanical actuators, the motors and mechanisms in a robot's joints
- Motion control, state estimation and whole-robot behaviour
- Manufacturing and supply chain
- Data collection facilities and machine-learning infrastructure for "physical AI"
- Lab technicians to build and test robot systems
Guy Hoffman, a Cornell University professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, told Business Insider the listings suggest a "custom robot design team."
Didn't OpenAI quit robotics before?
It did. OpenAI's early robotics work produced Dactyl, a robotic hand trained in simulation that solved a Rubik's Cube in 2019. In 2020 OpenAI shut the team down. Co-founder Wojciech Zaremba later pointed to a lack of training data.
OpenAI began rebuilding a robotics team in spring 2024, Forbes reported, and invested in humanoid startup Figure AI. About a year later Figure's CEO, Brett Adcock, ended that collaboration to build its robot AI in-house. In January 2025, OpenAI filed a trademark application that listed "humanoid robots" among its future products.
How does it compare to Tesla Optimus and other humanoids?
OpenAI is entering a crowded field, and it is starting behind on hardware.
| Company | Robot | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Unnamed humanoid | In development; first demo targeted for 2027 |
| Tesla | Optimus | Production began at Fremont around August 2026; no customer units shipped yet (Forbes) |
| Boston Dynamics / Hyundai | Atlas | Product version unveiled at CES 2026; rolling out at Hyundai's Georgia Metaplant (TechRadar) |
| 1X | NEO | Home robot, $20,000 or $499 a month; first customer shipments planned for 2026 (company) |
| Figure AI | Figure | Building its own robot AI after ending its OpenAI collaboration (Forbes) |
| XPENG | IRON | First units recently came off its production line (Tbreak) |
OpenAI's bet is that the model, not the metal, decides who wins. Its rivals are betting the same thing about their own AI.
What to watch
The 2027 demo. What the robot can actually do on camera, and whether it is OpenAI hardware or a partner's.
Hiring. Whether the robotics team keeps growing beyond 27 open roles.
OpenAI's other hardware. Separately from the robot, Altman has pointed to an early-2027 window for OpenAI's first consumer device, designed with Jony Ive.
Published Sunday, October 18, 2026. Altman's quotes are from the Sources podcast as reported by Forbes and from his interview with Fortune; hiring figures are from Business Insider and Engadget. OpenAI has not announced a name, design, price or release date for the robot.
