Meta acquires robotics startup Assured Robot Intelligence to advance humanoid AI ambitions

Tags AI · Infrastructure · Product

Meta acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI), a startup developing AI models for robots, to bolster its humanoid robotics efforts, the company confirmed on May 1. ARI co-founders Lerrel Pinto and Xiaolong Wang will join Meta's Superintelligence Labs research division, working closely with Meta Robotics Studio launched in 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed; ARI had raised an undisclosed seed round from AIX Ventures. The acquisition positions Meta to compete directly with Tesla Optimus, Google's DeepMind robotics efforts, and Amazon. For industry watchers, the deal signals that Meta is making a significant, strategic bet on physical AI — moving beyond digital platforms into embodied intelligence — and that the humanoid robotics race is now attracting every major tech player.