CES 2026 Hyundai Motor Group ushers in era of AI robotics

Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chair Chang Jae-hoon, center, poses with Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter, fourth from left, and other executives from both firms, after holding a media day event of CES 2026 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Monday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

LAS VEGAS — Hyundai Motor Group will open a new era of artificial intelligence (AI) robotics by converging its manufacturing prowess with vast datasets compiled from its complete value chain in auto production, logistics and sales, the carmaker said Monday (local time) on the sidelines of this year’s CES tech fair.

Jumping on the AI bandwagon, the carmaker pledged to transform itself into a key player for what it calls “human-centric AI robotics” by overcoming challenges from conventional hardware- and mobility-focused robots.

"Physical AI" is the catchphrase for this year’s CES, referring to the integration of AI with hardware to interact with the physical world. Embracing the latest tech trend, the carmaker displayed confidence in boosting its presence, particularly in humanoid robots, smart factories and autonomous driving.

Hyundai Motor Group is one of the world’s largest carmakers, with a strong global value chain across its entire business process, giving it an edge in compiling the datasets needed to become a leading player in physical AI.

The carmaker also unveiled a plan to build its group-wide physical AI application center in Korea to expand the relevant ecosystem here. Additionally, the company will build what it calls a "robot foundry factory," focusing on manufacturing customized products.

Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot Atlas appears on a stage during a media event of Hyundai Motor on the sidelines of this year's CES tech fair in Las Vegas, Monday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Next-generation humanoid robot

The carmaker’s robotics subsidiary, Boston Dynamics, unveiled its next-generation electric Atlas humanoid robot for the first time at CES 2026. The advanced two-legged robot will play a pivotal role in driving the group’s manufacturing transformation, the carmaker said.

This is not the first time the company has adapted robots for its manufacturing and logistics processes. Boston Dynamics’ Spot, a four-legged walking robot, and Stretch, a mobile warehouse robot, have already proven their efficiency across various industrial applications.

Hyundai Motor Group also pledged to accelerate its partnerships with leading global tech firms to develop more advanced physical AI technologies and products.

Boston Dynamics' four-legged Spot robots perform on a stage during a media event for Hyundai Motor Group during this year's CES tech exhibition in Las Vegas, Monday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Starting last year, the group formed a strategic partnership with Nvidia so the carmaker can utilize the graphics chipmaker’s massive AI infrastructure and simulation libraries.

The next-generation Atlas robots will be deployed to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America and the carmaker plans to supply them to other key strategic production hubs across the globe. The plant is Hyundai Motor’s much-touted software-defined factory powered by datasets and software.

Hyundai Motor’s AI robots will receive upgrades from the automated production facilities at the plant.

The carmaker plans to open the Robot Metaplant Application Center, a facility to train robots before they are deployed to production lines. The center is scheduled to open in the United States this year.

“Hyundai Motor Group will speed up the mass production of robots and attain an annual production capacity of 30,000 robots by 2028,” an official from the group said. “Starting from the Atlas — the first mass-produced humanoid robots for industrial purposes — we are going to expand our robotics presence into more industries and commercial areas.”

On the same day, Boston Dynamics announced a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind to elevate its technological development for next-generation humanoid robots.

Both firms will collaborate on developing breakthrough technologies that combine both physical robots and cutting-edge AI foundation models.