It's actually really hard to make a robot, guys

Robots have been a thing for a long time, but they've never quite met expectations. While AI has changed the game for chatbots, it's not quite so clear for robots. NPR science desk correspondent Geoff Brumfiel spoke to our colleagues over on our science podcast Short Wave on how humanoid robots are actually developing with the help of artificial intelligence. It was a fascinating discussion and so we are sharing that conversation with you today on the Indicator. <br /><br /><strong>Related episodes: <br /></strong>Is AI underrated? (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000663256517" target="_blank">Apple</a> / <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/449pYMEzLj6wQ2XDLfUeLq?si=2579122c740e4ace" target="_blank">Spotify</a>) <br />Is AI overrated? (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000663366364" target="_blank">Apple</a> / <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Cx1SvScerT2OEP353JVLK?si=cee769eae89a4a3e" target="_blank">Spotify</a>) <br />Dial M for Mechanization (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?i=1000615476788" target="_blank">Apple</a> / <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jD1scmbkibfWuMaaMV13d?si=7613412566694e23" target="_blank">Spotify</a>) <br /><br /><em>For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank"><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>.<br /><br />Fact-checking by </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez" target="_blank"><em>Sierra Juarez</em></a><em>. Music by </em><a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><em>Drop Electric</em></a><em>. Find us: </em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>TikTok</em></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank"><em>Instagram</em></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money" target="_blank"><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>. </em><br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>