All That’s Missing Now Is Data": Figure 03 Lands TIME’s Best Inventions Cover, CEO Speaks Out
Figure 03, Data, and the Debate Around Humanoid Robotics
Just after unveiling its third-generation humanoid robot Figure 03 and receiving widespread attention, Figure was back in the spotlight — this time due to remarks made by CEO Brett Adcock.
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The TIME Interview and Brett’s Key Point
A user on X noticed that Brett was recently interviewed by TIME.
TIME noted that Figure 03 still faces significant hurdles and is not yet ready for daily work scenarios.
When asked what was needed to move forward, Brett’s answer was simple: data.
> On reflection, it’s clear he was pointing to scale — that deploying robotics technology across all types of work requires massive data collection. Large hyperscale corporations have an advantage here.
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Public Reactions
Support for the “Data is King” View
Some agreed with Brett, saying “Data is the new oil.”
Pushback from Others
Others disagreed:
> Naturally, he has more insight than I do. But I think the real problem is weak architecture and limited computing power — after all, humans can perform simple tasks without huge datasets.
Middle Ground Comments
Some suggested:
> That’s likely why they avoid live demos. Still, Figure is breaking new ground in autonomous humanoid capabilities.
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Brett Adcock Responds
The debate caught Brett’s attention. He replied directly:
> That’s not the case. Most strategies we showed TIME achieved high performance in challenging home environments. The bottleneck right now is that Helix lacks data — but we’ll solve it.
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Brett’s Vision for Humanoid Robots
Core Mission
> Figure designs and manufactures humanoid robots aimed at performing as many human tasks in the real world as possible.
>
> Brett frames this as “giving AI a body” — envisioning robots first deployed in industry, then in homes worldwide doing laundry, dishes, and cleaning.
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A “General Robotic Overlord”?
> Q: I’ve seen the robot fold towels and load a washer — impressive — but sometimes it drops a towel and can’t recover it. How do we get to the “overlord” level?
>
> Brett: Overlord? [laughs] Simply put, data solves almost all current problems.
>
> With more data, robots make fewer mistakes, perform faster, and can now match human-level performance in some tasks.
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Long-Term Goals
- Enter every consumer household globally
- Handle tasks people dislike
- Go beyond companionship to active household service
Quote:
> For decades, home automation has seen no major breakthroughs — but robots can change that. They’ll be partners that interact, remember, and do the chores you don’t want to.
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Safety and Global Rollout Strategy
15 Safety Domains
Brett highlights two primary focuses:
- Physical safety, including systems safety engineering.
- Cybersecurity, with large-scale encryption and top-tier experts.
Teams are working on safe U.S. household entry first, before global rollout.
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Synthetic Humans: The Economic Vision
> Robots with ultra-low operating costs, working 20–24 hours a day, learning continuously.
> Brett estimates global market demand could reach 10 billion units.
>
> He envisions more humanoid robots than humans — a future drawn from his lifelong sci‑fi dreams.
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Commitment to Non-Harm
Brett stresses:
> We design robots to do useful work, not harm or weaponize.
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Figure 03 Earns TIME Recognition
- Featured in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 (cover story)
- TIME co‑owner Marc Benioff — CEO of Salesforce — participated in Figure’s $1 billion funding round.
- Other featured brands: Unitree Robotics, DeepSeek, Huawei, BYD.
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Broader Context: Data, AI, and Robotics
Debates like this highlight a key truth:
Large-scale data collection and training are central to unlocking autonomy and capability in robotics.
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References
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZP943-gARQ
- https://x.com/kimmonismus/status/1976581803457810464
- https://x.com/Figure_robot/status/1967936969482342891
- https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/
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Would you like me to also add a condensed “Key Takeaways” section at the top so readers can grasp the main points instantly? That would make the article more scannable.
