Wang Xiaogang, chairman of Daxiao Robotics, said that the arrival of a "ChatGPT moment" for embodied intelligence depends on advances in data and models, according to a report from cb.com.cn published on August 23, 2026.
Speaking at the 2026 World Robot Congress (WRC), Wang argued that the field of embodied AI — machines that can perceive and act in the physical world — will not see a breakthrough comparable to ChatGPT's impact on language models until the underlying data infrastructure and model capabilities mature. He did not provide a timeline for when such a moment might occur.
The comments come amid a broader shift in focus at this year's WRC. While humanoid robots have drawn crowds in past years, coverage from outlets including thepaper.cn and People's Daily suggests that industrial robots took center stage at the 2026 event. Visitors were seen queuing to play table tennis against machines, with one attendee remarking, according to finance.sina.com.cn, that they had "played for ten years and lost to a machine."
China Daily noted that the WRC has become a key window for global observers to assess China's robotics opportunities. The event, held in Beijing, has grown into a major showcase for both domestic and international robotics firms.
Wang's emphasis on data and models aligns with a wider industry debate about what will drive the next leap in robotics. For now, the sector appears split between those chasing flashy humanoid demonstrations and those focused on practical industrial applications.
What to watch next: whether robotics firms can build the large-scale data pipelines needed to train more capable embodied AI systems, and whether that investment translates into commercial deployments.
