What is Moravec’s Paradox? This theory in robotics from the 1980s continues to be highly significant today, illustrating why even the most advanced humanoid robots face challenges with straightforward tasks such as loading a dishwasher or spreading butter on toast.

Put forth by robotics researcher Hans Moravec in 1988, Moravec’s Paradox indicates that tasks which are simple for humans can be difficult for machines to imitate, and the opposite is also true. Despite considerable progress in robotics since 1988, Moravec’s Paradox still holds.

This year, we have witnessed the introduction of numerous new humanoid robots and the rise of “arm farms.” The Los Angeles Times covered these arm farms, where individuals in countries like India don cameras and execute menial chores such as folding towels to train humanoid robots.

As the LA Times pointed out, “The meticulously choreographed movements aim to capture all the subtleties of human actions — reaching arms, gripping fingers, sliding fabric — to fold laundry.”

Extensive training is essential, as Moravec stated, because the straightforward tasks we often overlook are remarkably challenging for robots. Therefore, even though humanoid robots like Iron from EV manufacturer Xpeng may appear futuristic, they are frequently surprisingly inept.

X1 recently launched the humanoid robot Neo, a household assistant robot available for pre-order. However, videos reveal Neo having difficulty with ordinary tasks such as loading a dishwasher. Humans would also find it hard to complete tasks that robots can accomplish almost instantly, such as performing complex calculations or accurately bending metal parts on a factory floor.

In a similar vein, Tesla and Elon Musk were enthusiastic about rolling out their Optimus robots, promising a global fleet soon. Nonetheless, the Optimus robots displayed were, in fact, operated remotely by humans.

This exemplifies Moravec’s Paradox in practice.

Yet, just because this paradox has persisted since the 1980s does not imply it will always remain this way. Indeed, artificial intelligence indicates that swift breakthroughs are feasible.

AI and Moravec’s Paradox

Moravec’s Paradox is applicable to both AI and robotics.

Just a few years ago, even sophisticated machine learning systems found it challenging to handle tasks that humans consider effortless, such as recognizing objects in an image or participating in natural language discussions. Even basic translations were cumbersome and challenging for AI.

Yet in 202