Tesla's robots are not as intelligent as they seem? Optimus was exposed to remote control at the conference

According to informed sources, at the recent "Robotaxi Day" event, Tesla (TSLA.US) used humans to remotely control some functions of its Optimus robot prototype in order to excite investors about the upcoming product. The sources pointed out that at the event, Tesla employees from elsewhere remotely supervised many interactions between Optimus and guests, which did not actually demonstrate as much intelligence as claimed.

During discussions about the company's operations, employees from elsewhere were responsible for supervising many interactions between the humanoid robot and attendees. Optimus, according to sources, can walk autonomously without external control through artificial intelligence.

Some attendees later expressed on social media that the robot received assistance, and at least one video circulating online from the Cybercab event on October 10th showed an Optimus bartender admitting that it received "human help." Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not mention this during a live webcast.

The use of human input has raised questions about the capabilities and market readiness of this robot. Musk stated last week that he expects this robot to be the "biggest product ever." The CEO told everyone that it can handle many household tasks and may eventually be sold to consumers for $20,000 to $30,000 each.

Although Tesla had previously showcased the prototype of Optimus, last week was the first time non-employees had the opportunity to interact directly with this black and white robot. They poured drinks for attendees, high-fived, and even played rock-paper-scissors, which were among the few highlights of the event.

The performance of this robot has long been closely watched by investors, although the release date of the product is still uncertain. Observers noted that in 2022, early prototypes had to be carried onto the stage by people, but now it can walk on its own.

Analyst Views

Initially, Optimus was not supposed to appear at last week's event at all. According to an informed source, about three weeks ago, Musk requested their inclusion. The source said that the last-minute notice meant there was no time for software upgrades, so remote operation was necessary.

Like the Cybercab autonomous taxi and truck concept vehicles, Optimus was one of the key products introduced at this event. Guests invited to the event—including investors, Wall Street analysts, and fans—traveled short distances in autonomous self-driving cars.

The grand event held at a movie studio was widely considered to have left a lackluster impression due to the lack of technical details and the vague plans for the autonomous taxi business. The next day, Tesla's stock price experienced its largest drop in over two months.

According to an informed source, Musk was supposed to discuss broader autonomous driving-related projects on stage. The presentation would have included more details about Tesla's Semi truck autonomous driving technology plans, details about the application behind the future ride-hailing service, and pricing details for the software suite. However, Musk either skipped over this material or removed it from the event After the previous event, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas expressed disappointment overall with the conference, citing a lack of data on FSD/technology, ride-sharing economics, and the CyberCab's market strategy. Jonas stated that there were high expectations from the market during the event, which he believed would have a significant impact on the stock's direction and debate. "Apart from mentioning inductive charging, there was no detailed discussion on Cybercab's features, including technology (inference hardware, sensor suite, LiDAR, L4/L5), range, safety, practicality, and flexibility/configuration. Many have commented that it looks like a 'Model 2' prototype repackaged as an autonomous vehicle."

Barclays also believes that the information disclosed in this event did not highlight any recent opportunities for Tesla. Dan Levy wrote, "As expected, similar to previous Tesla product launches, this event did not reveal details but emphasized Tesla's development vision in the AI/AV (autonomous vehicle) field." He also emphasized that Tesla did not showcase plans for a low-cost model to be produced in the first half of 2025.

Roth MKM analyst Craig Irwin pointed out, "We are disappointed with the limited evidence provided by Tesla - FSD is credible in a pure optical system."

However, many attendees also noted that their interaction with Optimus was a standout feature of Tesla's presentation. Nancy Tengler, CEO of Laffer Tengler Investments, stated in a report to clients after the event, "In my view, Optimus stole the show. Optimus swaggered in, danced, and looked very human."

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives described the event as a "glimpse into the future," stating in an article that humanoid robots "may be closer to reality than we think."

Gene Munster, managing partner of growth investment firm Loup Ventures, believed Optimus was remote-controlled and stated that he felt "duped" during the event. However, in an article published on Musk's X platform, he mentioned that this provided a window to "understand the potential of these products."