World's first $20k humanoid robot has a deeply disturbing catch that's leaving people vowing never to buy it

Every day, we move one step closer to the dystopian horrors of Wall-E. While you might not typically think of Pixar's family-friendly movie as a harbinger of doom, you only have to look at its themes on climate change and the laziness of the human race to see that, 17 years after it was first released, it's becoming more relevant than ever.

While we struggle to keep up with how fast artificial intelligence is evolving, the realm of robotics is skipping alongside hand in hand. There's been an emergence of increasingly human-esque robots, although the lifelike Ameka still feels like a way off from being like the NS-5 models of I, Robot. Elsewhere, Elon Musk has left politics behind to refocus his efforts on Tesla and the increasingly advanced Optimus robots.

Many have shared their concerns about the Optimus line, especially after Mr. Musk showed off how Tesla has taught them kung fu, which sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Others have balked at the $175,000 robot girlfriend that's built for 'intimacy' (take from that what you will), and with every passing week, it seems a new robotics company is popping up. As frontrunners emerge, even basic models threaten to break the bank. That's seemingly not the case with 1X's Neo robots, which can be pre-ordered for a mere $20,000. While it's not exactly short change for most of us, $20,000 is a relatively tiny price tag in this industry, especially when you see what the Neos have going on under their Coraline-inspired faces.

Dubbed the world’s first consumer-ready humanoid robot, Neo is said to automate everyday chores, offer personalized assistance so that you can spend time with actual humans, and use its in-built large language model to offer advice without the need for screens or devices.

Promoting Neo, 1X CEO and founder Bernt Børnich gushed: "Humanoids were long a thing of sci-fi... then they were a thing of research, but today — with the launch of NEO — humanoid robots become a product. Something that you and I can reach out and touch.

“NEO closes the gap between our imaginations and the world we live in, to the point where we can actually ask a humanoid robot for help, and help is granted."

Whether it be folding laundry, organizing shelves, or performing a general spring clean, Neo sounds like your very own cyber Cinderella. 1X also says that its ‘expert’ mode can guide the robot through tasks that aren't already programmed into it, although that's where the catch comes in.

Posting on X, Ankur A. Patel points out how expert mode relies on a 1X 'supervisor' to teach the robot how to perform the task. This seemingly involves a real-life person watching through Neo's cold, dead eyes, which raises an immediate privacy concern.

Patel writes: "Needing a company employee to 'supervise' the session is a huge privacy concern. Just imagine an employee being able to see everything inside your house and also being able to control the robot through VR glasses. Would you be okay with that?"

Others were lured in by Neo's attractive price tag but were rightly concerned about someone watching their home from afar.

One critic said: "$20K for a robot to do my chores forever. Sounds like a steal until you realize that someone is watching you."

Another added: "Privacy is a big problem, but I love seeing new AI tech being developed."

A third concluded: "How lovely those weird ass 'NEO' robots that were introduced this week. But make no mistake: there's no real automata there. It's just a guy operating it from another room, quite literally."

If you want to make the most of your Neo, you might need to get used to that feeling of always being watched.