OpenAI disbands its robotics team as general models start running robots

Nov 13, 2026
Robotics researchers move to the main research team and Applied group; OpenAI says models like GPT-6 Astra can control robots directly.

OpenAI has disbanded its stand-alone robotics team and moved its researchers to other parts of the company, Fortune reports. OpenAI confirmed the change and said robotics remains core to its long-term plans.

The robotics research staff now sit in the main research team under Chief Research Officer Mark Chen, while applied robotics and hardware moved to the Applied organisation under President Greg Brockman. OpenAI told Fortune its general-purpose models, including GPT-6 Astra, have proved they can be applied directly to robotics, so separate robot models are less needed. In an Nvidia study cited by Fortune, an Astra-powered agent reached a 74.8% success rate on a simulated manipulation benchmark, against 51.0% for the best specialised robot models.

OpenAI says it still plans to build its own humanoid robot, with a first public demo targeted for 2027. The move comes as the company cuts side projects to control costs ahead of a possible IPO in early 2027.

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