Robotics Expert Dennis Hong Discusses the Future of Humanoids and Art

Professor Dennis Hong, a leading robotics expert at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and director of the renowned robotics and mechanisms laboratory RoMeLa, is known for turning imaginative futures into reality. Recently, he has gained attention as an experimental artist.

Ahead of his keynote speech at the 2026 GGGF forum, themed "The Reality of AI Civilization Depends on Physical AI Competitiveness," taking place on September 2 at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Hong discussed various topics, including the existential shock brought on by ChatGPT, his philosophical journey into art, and practical solutions for South Korea to thrive amid the U.S.-China competition in physical AI.

In an interview with Aju Economy on August 29, Hong remarked, "Many people were shocked by the emergence of OpenAI's ChatGPT, but as an engineer, the intensity of that shock was much greater for me. Over the past year and a half, I have seriously contemplated what makes humans truly human, and I have come to believe that art may be the only field that embodies this essence."

He continued, "Unlike AI and robots, which possess perfect calculation and communication systems, human communication is inherently imperfect and inefficient. Singing, moving, or expressing complex emotions through poetry and literature are all imperfect ways of communication, but that is precisely what art is."

With this realization, Hong began creating works using robotic technology and has gained recognition as an artist. He is set to travel to Austria for the prestigious Ars Electronica media art festival after participating in the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Biennales. In November, he will hold a solo exhibition in Shenzhen, and his works will soon be featured at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Having introduced the world's leading bipedal humanoid, Artemis, Hong has boldly announced his retirement from humanoid development. He stated, "The role of academia is to explore 'new realms that do not yet exist.' The control technology for bipedal humanoids has been made open-source with Artemis, and it has quickly become commercialized, particularly in China and other countries." He added, "Currently, I am focusing on research related to 'robot hands' and 'flesh.'"