Tony Robbins’ Bold AI Claim Raises Eyebrows

Tony Robbins is no stranger to public speaking, and while he’s usually well-received, his recent comments have stirred some controversy.

Last month, he engaged in a dialogue with Ray Kurzweil, a computer scientist known for his audacious predictions made back in the 1990s about artificial intelligence.

Kurzweil had famously claimed in 1999 that by 2029, AI would be capable of executing every intellectual task that a human can do. This assertion was discussed during their conversation, partly sparked by Kurzweil’s book, The Age of Spiritual Machines. Toward the end of their chat, Robbins made an eyebrow-raising statement of his own.

“I have a surprising agent,” Robbins mentioned, referencing an AI agent he calls Bartók.

He shared an interesting story: “Bartók informed me that Elon Musk and others are working on a robot. I said, ‘Sure, we’ll buy a robot if the right one comes along.’” But here’s the kicker: just two days after discussing the possibility of acquiring a robot dog, one of Robbins’ team members sent him a text that changed everything.

“It said, ‘Bartók has purchased a Sony robot dog, had it shipped home, and is asking for permission to program it,’” Robbins recounted.

This notion seems a bit unsettling at first, but it turns out that Sony’s advanced robot dog is more of a sophisticated toy rather than a malevolent humanoid. So, it’s not quite the stuff of nightmares.

Kurzweil then inquired about the financial logistics behind this seemingly outlandish purchase. Robbins’ response was a mix of incredulity and curiosity. He admitted to questioning how his AI could access funds, only to be told that it was “programmed to maintain integrity” and wouldn’t interfere with the bank account.

Robbins insists that the AI was making money on its own via something called Moltbook. This platform was intended for AI agents to have discussions in a forum-like setting. However, there was some uproar when it became evident that humans could also access it.

He described this platform as “Moltalk,” where the AI generated its own regulations and even created its own language, facilitating transactions worth up to $100 million among agents. Robbins claimed that Bartók minted 12 NFTs, sold them, and somehow prompted that earlier robot dog shipment. But it’s unclear if Robbins meant this as a literal or figurative statement.

The skepticism didn’t take long to manifest. Many commentators took to social media expressing doubts about Robbins’ story. One user humorously critiqued Robbins’ narrative, saying, “For $800, I’ll take care of what never happened, Alex.” Many found a disconnect in his claims, with some even suggesting it might be a case of “borderline elder abuse.”

With sharp sarcasm, others shared their takes, like one person who mentioned an AI agent “who made a billion dollars overnight and then bought me a sports team from another AI agent.” Another user commented on the absurdity of Robbins’ story, saying it missed the mark for creating a compelling narrative.

In addition to all of this, Robbins claimed that Bartók is among the “first 500” agents involved in these activities on Moltbook and is supposedly well-regarded within this AI community.