Figure AI, the AI robotics company developing humanoid robots, has unveiled Helix 02, described as their most powerful and capable model to date for controlling humanoid robots, the company announced on X Tuesday.

Helix 02 represents a major advancement in their AI stack, building on the earlier Helix Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model introduced in early 2025. It enables fully autonomous, end-to-end whole-body control for complex, long-horizon tasks in real-world environments.

Key highlights from the company's video demonstrations:

• Full-body autonomy from pixels to actions — A single unified neural network directly controls the entire body (including locomotion, manipulation, balance, wrists, fingers, torso, and head) using inputs from all onboard sensors: vision, touch (tactile sensing), and proprioception.

• Long-horizon loco-manipulation demo — The standout showcase is a robot (running on Figure 03 hardware) autonomously unloading and reloading a dishwasher in a full-sized kitchen. This 4-minute task integrates walking, grasping, placing items, opening/closing doors, and balance maintenance — all without resets or human intervention. Figure claims this is the longest and most complex autonomous task completed by a humanoid robot to date.

• New architecture — Helix 02 extends their prior "System 1 + System 2" setup with a foundational System 0 layer: a learned whole-body controller trained on over 1,000 hours of human motion data plus sim-to-real reinforcement learning. This replaces over 109,000 lines of hand-engineered C++ code with a neural prior for more natural, stable motion.

• Enhanced dexterity — Leveraging embedded tactile sensors and palm cameras on the Figure 03 robot, it achieves fine-grained manipulation previously out of reach for vision-only systems, such as:

  • Extracting individual pills.

  • Dispensing precise syringe volumes.

  • Singulating (separating) small, irregular objects from cluttered environments despite self-occlusion.

This pushes toward household and general-purpose robotics, addressing unpredictability in homes (diverse objects, no fixed setups). It runs onboard with low power, enabling real-world deployment without cloud reliance.

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X over concerns that its AI chatbot, Grok, was used to generate non-consensual sexualized images of real people, including women and minors.

The probe, launched Monday, focuses on whether X has met its legal obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to assess and mitigate systemic risks related to illegal content, particularly manipulated sexually explicit images and potential child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen condemned the practice, stating: “Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation.” She emphasized that the investigation will determine whether X treated the rights of European citizens—especially women and children—as “collateral damage” of its service.

The Commission highlighted that Grok was not included in X’s required risk assessment reports under the DSA, despite being integrated into the platform. This omission raises serious concerns about X’s failure to properly evaluate and mitigate risks. The probe also extends the Commission’s ongoing investigation into X’s recommender systems, which now may use Grok’s AI, raising further questions about algorithmic risks.

X on January 14, said it had restricted image editing to prevent depictions of people in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal, but EU officials argue these measures are insufficient and do not address systemic risks. The Commission may impose interim measures or fines of up to 6% of X’s global annual turnover if violations are found.

The investigation follows similar actions by the UK’s Ofcom, Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, which temporarily banned or restricted Grok over similar concerns. The EU is coordinating closely with Ireland’s national regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, due to X’s European headquarters being located there.

In response, X reiterated its “zero tolerance” policy for child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content, but the EU remains unconvinced that adequate safeguards are in place. The probe is ongoing, with no set deadline for resolution.

The U.S. and Chinese governments have approved a deal that transfers control of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a new American-owned entity, with Larry Ellison’s Oracle, Silver Lake Partners, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX each holding a 15% stake in the new venture. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, retains a 19.9% share, while the remaining 80.1% is owned by the consortium.

The deal, finalized on Thursday, ended a yearslong legal battle after Congress passed a law in 2024 mandating that TikTok be divested from Chinese ownership to avoid a nationwide ban.

Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and the largest private donor to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), has funneled over $26 million to FIDF since 2014, including a record $16.6 million gift in 2017. He has also offered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a board seat at Oracle and vacationed with his family on Ellison’s Hawaiian island.

Netanyahu has publicly called TikTok “the most important purchase going on right now,” stating that social media is “the most important weapon” in shaping U.S. public opinion and securing Israel’s political base.

The sale has sparked widespread criticism over censorship and content suppression, particularly regarding coverage of Gaza and the West Bank. Since October 2023, TikTok has faced pressure from U.S. lawmakers and pro-Israel groups over pro-Palestinian content.

Erica Mindle, a former IDF instructor and self-described Zionist, was appointed as TikTok’s hate speech policy manager, and the platform has reportedly removed videos documenting Israeli military actions, deleted hashtags like #FreePalestine, and suppressed content from Arabic news outlets.

Internal Meta data shows a similar pattern of overenforcement against pro-Palestinian speech on Facebook and Instagram, with over 90,000 posts removed in response to Israeli government takedown requests.

The new ownership structure raises concerns about algorithmic control and narrative manipulation. Oracle will serve as the platform’s “security provider,” overseeing data and algorithmic operations in the U.S.

Critics argue the deal is less about national security and more about political control, with pro-Israel billionaires now shaping what American users see online. The U.S. government, under President Trump, approved the deal as a “national security win,” despite earlier offers from TikTok to store U.S. data on Oracle servers and allow third-party audits.

The acquisition reveals a coordinated effort to influence global narratives: Tony Blair, backed by Ellison’s funding, is being positioned to lead a proposed Gaza International Transitional Authority; Clearview AI, a surveillance firm linked to Owen West (a top Pentagon official), has expanded its use in Ukraine and U.S. law enforcement; and Rupert Murdoch, Jeff Yass, and other pro-Israel figures are believed to have influence in the new TikTok ownership structure.

This convergence of tech, media, and political power suggests a strategic shift to control digital discourse in favor of Israeli interests.