Elon Musk hilariously explains why Optimus has to learn like a toddler, by playing, making mistakes and getting better over time 😂 “In order for Optimus to get the training data we need, we actually need to make a lot of Optimi. So we need to make, I think, on the order of 10,000 or 20,000 bots and then have them do self-play. We're building up an Optimus academy where Optimus can practice doing a very wide range of tasks And then we can use that data in a flywheel to make it better and better at these various tasks, a big difference with Optimus versus the cars Is we don't have this vast fleet of cars from which we can gather training data. So with Optimus, we have to bootstrap it by making the robots and having them do self-play, which is really how a human learns to navigate the world You can see this when you have a toddler and they grow up and they initially are wobbly and they don't know how to do things, and eventually they, they learn to wipe their own ass, which is a big milestone, because anyone who's had kids knows And then they learn to read and do all sorts of things and be able to do these things. And they learn this by playing And we actually need Optimus to play at scale in order to have it be really good at tasks in the real world”

Oct 21, 2026 · 10:52 PM UTC

192
388
50
3,142
388,100
RelevantRecentLikes
Toddler phase now, butler phase later. Just hoping it skips the tantrum stage 😂
11
291
Just think, when you get older, it can wipe YOUR ass too! 😂
4
81
Great. A robot going through the terrible twos.
2
12
208
We could also have babies and send them to kindergarden and school!
1
4
52
I want a job as Optimi Playground Monitor because this sounds fun and also hilarious.
3
28
1,692
I’ve often thought this is exactly what would be required to truly achieve AGI/SI. The AI needs to experience interaction with the environment around it. Learn organically and understand more deeply.
2
96
"... and eventually they, they learn to wipe their own ass, which is a big milestone, because anyone who's had kids knows" 😂 Truth!
5
275
When one Optimus learns all learn, each Optimus does not have to go through the whole process. One learns to wash dishes all know how to wash dishes. One learns to do heart surgery all know how to do heart surgery.
3
219
Agreed. I found self play is far better learning in robots than to code what to do for any situation
1
5
1,241
We’re all toddlers at heart Elon
2
229
LOL. 'People suck at work. They take 20 years of training and uselessness to get to a working competent condition.' also 'we need 20 years of training and uselessness to get to a working competent Optimus...'
1
79
Everyone laughed but a child being able to go to the bathroom on their own and bathe themself really is a giant milestone. It’s also around the age you can say “wash all the dishes from dinner” and it actually gets done. It’s the difference between evening being an fun but difficult struggle and it being “I’m going to sit in my chair yall get er done”
164
Exactly like HAL 9000 was trained. “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do…”
1
4
339
Old it's movie released in '85 named D.A.R.Y.L. Its a good movie about a child "bot". Do it @elonmusk
6
638
Have them watch Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers.
2
5
812
Amazing! What would happen if you put them with well behaved toddlers? Would they take on the innocence of children?
1
153
Elon is changing the world for the better. Idc what anyone who can't explain why grass is green thinks about him. They aren't even on an intellectual level of a 2nd grader.
76
You have to know how to clean up your ... errr, umm.. act. And cover you ass... '-)
2
44
But can Optimus go in my yard and pick up/dispose of dog poop faster than my other dog can eat it? That's what I really need (and would pay for) in a robot. It always comes down to somebody's poop, your kid's, your dog's and eventually, your own.
97
If they play with themselves too much, will they go blind?
71
A proper human-made simulation at a robotic level. What would the capabilities be in 100 years? I think we are getting closer to finding more similarities between a simulation and the reality we live in.
5
698
Great approach - hopefully they can not tinker / play with the Three Rules by themselves.
49
I like that. Some of us just want to touch it. ✨️🚀🦋
1
77
Its like when @Naruto_Anime_EN uses kagebunshin to learn a technique. 😅
6
1,305
Actually, with decades of experience with children the two hardest tasks for a young child to learn : 1. blowing their nose, 2. tying their shoes!
155
Thanks for the visual.. I really needed to picture a robot wiping his 🍑 😳🤫
1
159
Optimus is better though. What one learns, they all can know. Kids can’t do that….they just think they can.
97
😆I would be fun to watch Optimus learning and playing together! I don't think I want Optimus wiping my ass, but someone else might😆
87
🤣😭😭🤣🤭
1
246
I want to see an Optimus find and play with a stick a good stick a stick can be a lot of things
95
A toddler that learns at the speed of light at 1 years old. Just wait it'll rocket then level off once all data is concentrated and perfected
1
196
Just give me the version that folds clothes and puts them away
60
Only point in contebtion is you want their hardware to be final for that learning. Nothing would throw it off more than changing things after it learned.
115
Yes I agree it’s funny, but practice makes perfect.
1
200
It may take years for Optimus to learn, however once it learns a million Optima will gain that knowledge with a quick download.
84
This is the Uncanny Valley part of the humanoids in progress that makes my nose itch. The Lord of the Flies comes to mind....
103