Nvidia Pushes Open Models Into Robotics Amid Job and Software Fears

Nvidia rolled out a series of new AI platforms this week at the Computex trade show in Taiwan aimed at building humanoid robots and training machines to navigate the physical world. CEO Jensen Huang framed the push as a boon for software developers even as investor Bill Gurley dismissed worries about widespread job losses as recycled panic from the Industrial Revolution.

Huang highlighted the rise of agentic AI systems that can handle tasks with little human input. He argued these tools will drive demand for software rather than destroy it. "This is actually an incredible time to be a software company," Huang said during his keynote, claiming agents will rely on more tools than ever before. The comments came amid sliding shares in traditional software firms like Salesforce and Atlassian as investors weigh whether AI agents could replace their products.

Alongside the software optimism Nvidia introduced the Isaac Gr00t reference design for humanoid robots. The platform pairs a nearly six-foot Unitree H2 chassis with five-fingered tactile hands and NVIDIA Jetson Thor computing. It also supports cheaper models like the Unitree G1. The goal is to give researchers open software and models to speed development of machines that can perform physical work.

The company further released Cosmos 3 an open AI world model trained on 20 trillion tokens of data including videos images audio and robot action sequences. Nvidia says the system helps robots and autonomous vehicles simulate rare or hazardous scenarios that would be costly or dangerous to stage in reality. Partners including Black Forest Labs and Runway are already involved. The model generates data on joint angles gripper positions and trajectories so machines can learn to move and manipulate objects.

Gurley addressed the broader employment implications on the All-In Podcast. He pointed to Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical that warned industrial capitalism would harm workers and increase inequality. Gurley said similar warnings today about AI eliminating jobs repeat a historical error that proved unfounded. Pope Leo XIV recently issued his own statement raising concerns over mass AI-driven unemployment.

These announcements mark Nvidia's continued expansion from chipmaker into full AI ecosystems for physical systems. The robotics and simulation tools position the company to supply foundational technology for factories warehouses and transport fleets. Yet the rapid automation push raises questions about who benefits when machines take on roles once held by people in logistics manufacturing and service work. Huang and Gurley present the changes as inevitable progress that ultimately creates opportunity. Many workers facing displacement see a different picture one where elite assurances have not always matched outcomes on the ground.