China’s tech giant makes major move in artificial intelligence as tensions with the US grow
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has developed an artificial intelligence robot that can clean tables and fold laundry.
The robot is powered by a new AI system called GR-3, which allows it to follow natural language commands and perform tasks.
ByteDance used its own robot, ByteMini, to test the system. It successfully picked up objects, cleaned surfaces, and folded clothes.
In one example, the robot put a shirt on a hanger and placed it on a clothing rack, all without human help.
It could also tell the difference between objects, such as choosing the “larger plate” when given a spoken command.
This kind of AI model is called a vision-language-action (VLA) system and acts as the robot’s brain.
The technology was developed by ByteDance’s Seed department, which was launched in 2023 to lead its AI research.
China has been racing ahead in AI development, with projects like DeepSeek and Manus making headlines in recent months.
Chipmaker Nvidia says robotics is the next step in AI, especially as teaching robots has always been difficult — until now.
ByteDance trained GR-3 using images, text, and human interactions in virtual reality, making the system smarter and more capable.
This breakthrough comes as TikTok faces renewed pressure from the US to sell its American operations or face a ban.
US officials warn that control of TikTok’s algorithm must rest with Americans — or the app will be shut down.
