I saw a demo today that made me stop and think about where AI is headed. Someone built a robotic gun platform controlled by GPT-4o’s real-time API. The setup looked straightforward – a workshop environment with a mounted gun platform that responded to voice commands.
The interesting part wasn’t just that it worked, but how naturally it handled complex instructions. Tell it to move 25 degrees left and sweep an area, and it executes perfectly. The real-time API takes those voice commands and turns them into precise mechanical actions.
This matters because it shows how AI can now directly control physical systems through natural conversation. We’ve moved past simple chatbots to AI that can understand spatial concepts and control hardware in real-time.
The next step is adding video input. Once the API can process visual data alongside voice commands, these systems could identify and track objects autonomously. Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash already has these capabilities with its free API.
We’re seeing this same technology in factory robots too. Figure’s humanoid robots use similar AI control systems and they’re already working in real facilities. The line between AI assistants and physical automation is disappearing fast.
I should note – the demo used simulated firing, not live rounds. But the technical capability exists. This raises important questions about AI control systems and safety protocols.
The real story here isn’t about weapons – it’s about AI’s expanding ability to understand our world and interact with it physically. We need to think carefully about how we implement these capabilities.
For more context on recent AI developments, check out my post on OpenAI’s alignment challenges: https://adam.holter.com/openai-lost-their-alignment-team-and-their-models-are-getting-worse/
What are your thoughts on AI controlling physical systems? Let me know in the comments.
