Online: Trending Now

Unique biweekly insights and news review
from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA

Embodied AI

We may be just months away from an influx of embodied AI robots (EAI). Those are, in many cases, humanoid bots powered by autonomous AI.

Generative AI (GenAI) continues to advance with reasoning power, competing with Ph.D.-level knowledge in math and several of the science fields. We are beginning to see autonomous agents that can perform tasks that require multiple steps as well as stacked tasks that are increasingly complex. The next step seems to be to embody that knowledge and those skills.

Shaoshan Liu and Shuang Wu write in the Communications of the ACM, “Embodied Artificial Intelligence (EAI) integrates artificial intelligence into physical entities like robots, endowing them with the ability to perceive, learn from, and dynamically interact with their environment.” Liu and Wu go on to describe that the “foundational studies highlight three principles for developing EAI systems. First, EAI systems must not rely on predefined, complex logic to manage specific scenarios. Second, it is essential that EAI systems incorporate evolutionary learning mechanisms, enabling them to adapt continuously to their operational environments. Lastly, the environment plays a pivotal role in shaping not just physical behaviors, but also cognitive structures.”

Certainly, we have had robots on the assembly line, across cities providing key transportation functions, and even some designed to provide limited services in our homes. Principal Engineer Taco Cohen of Qualcomm, explains we are poised to expand the capabilities of EAI through enhanced awareness of their environment:

“While robots have proliferated in recent years in smart cities, factories and homes, we are mostly interacting with robots controlled by classical handcrafted algorithms. These are robots that have a narrow goal and don’t learn from their surroundings very much. In contrast, artificial intelligence (AI) agents — robots, virtual assistants or other intelligent systems — that can interact with and learn from a physical environment are referred to as embodied AI. These agents are equipped with sensors (cameras, pressure sensors, accelerometers, etc.) that capture data from their surroundings, along with AI systems that can analyze and “learn” from the acquired data.”

The Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is focused on the merging of the research and development of high-performance, trustworthy, and resource-efficient applications of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Regarding EAI, the Institute publishes on its website: “Just as human learning is based on exploration and interaction with the environment, embodied agents must improve their behavior from experience. Thus, embodied AI brings together multiple fields, such as computer vision, environment modeling, and prediction, planning, and control, reinforcement learning, physics-based simulation, and robotics.” And, that’s just what we are seeing today.

Notably, Elon Musk earlier this month featured “Optimus,” saying of the $20,000 to $30,000 robot, “It’ll basically do anything you want. So, it can be a teacher or babysit your kids. It can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks, whatever you can think of, it will do.” That “be a teacher” caught my eye. Forbes’ Dan Fitzpatrick observed in the article “Could Elon Musk’s AI Robots Save a Troubled Education System?”:

“Could Optimus change how classrooms operate? As a teaching assistant, it could handle tasks like preparing materials and supervising students during activities. This could reduce the administrative burden on teachers, allowing them to engage more with students. In special needs education, Optimus could provide personalized instruction and physical assistance, improving the learning experience for students requiring extra support.”

In short, Fitzpatrick envisions the we in education may soon be working shoulder to shoulder with EAI in teaching, research, administration and related duties.

I would add to that list, library services. I can imagine EAI staffing the Reference Desk. Interpreting and responding to patron requests for data, pulling the relevant resources, and assisting in identifying the specific information that is sought. With multi-lingual capabilities, there is the potential for EAI to communicate effectively with those students for whom English is not their first language.

Would EAI be equally, or more effective in some cases with such services that are now provided by the Web-bound Khanmigo? In some cases, I think so. There is the potential for EAI, with careful visual and auditory observation, to interpret the level of frustration and the specific sticking point in understanding, of the students it is tutoring. Those observation abilities can elevate the engagement and quality of service beyond that of text-based apps.

In research, not only does the EAI work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year affording much greater productivity, but it can also conduct follow-up with direct phone, Zoom, or in-person interviews. The additional recorded, non-verbal information that can be gathered by such engagements may have the potential to add significantly to many research projects. Further, the multi-lingual capabilities may be useful in more complete communication than we might be able to acquire on our own.

In two or three years, I can imagine that such EAI in person or video-mediated engagements will be as commonplace as our Zoom and phone communications today. Elon Musk envisions the price-point in the neighborhood of a modest new car today will be appealing for many in the middle class. His Optimus “coming-out” party earlier this month included multiple Optimus units circulating among those attending the event as described in AI Business:

“I think this will be the greatest product ever of any kind because I think every one of the 8 billion people on Earth, everyone is going to want their own Optimus buddy, maybe two. ”Thursday night he gave attendees a first-hand experience with humanoid robots. We’re going to show tonight that Optimus is not a canned video,” he said. “It’s not walled off. The Optimus robots will walk among you. Please be nice to the Optimus robots. You will be able to walk right up to them, they’ll serve drinks at the bar … it’s a wild experience just to have a humanoid robot there in front of you.”

While Optimus is currently gaining much of the publicity, it is important to note that the largest of AI companies, including OpenAI, Google and Meta are progressing with their own research in this area. If the price point holds in the range Musk suggests, we are likely to see these EAI units in higher education even sooner than they populate private homes. Have you begun making plans for how you might most effectively use such an intelligent robot to enhance your work in higher education? Is this a topic that should be addressed by your institution before competing universities feature their use of EAI units in recruiting students to their campus?

 

This article was originally published in Inside Higher Ed’s Transforming Teaching & Learning blog. 

A man (Ray Schroeder) is dressed in a suit with a blue tie and wearing glasses.

Ray Schroeder is Professor Emeritus, Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) and Senior Fellow at UPCEA. Each year, Ray publishes and presents nationally on emerging topics in online and technology-enhanced learning. Ray’s social media publications daily reach more than 12,000 professionals. He is the inaugural recipient of the A. Frank Mayadas Online Leadership Award, recipient of the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award, the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame Award, and the American Journal of Distance Education/University of Wisconsin Wedemeyer Excellence in Distance Education Award 2016.

Other UPCEA Updates + Blogs

Preparing Four-Year Institutions for Workforce Pell

Institutions must begin preparing now for 2026 implementation.  On July 4, 2025, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a sweeping legislative package that reshapes federal student aid and accountability policy. Among many consequential provisions for higher education is the creation of Workforce Pell, which will extend Pell Grant eligibility to some short-term,…

Read More

How AI Is Rewriting the Playbook for Enrollment Management

Introduction Enrollment managers face a paradox: students demand personalized service, yet resources are shrinking. While AI is exciting, it is also an expensive endeavor for enrollment management divisions already stretched by staffing and resource challenges. Traditional methods—manual file reviews, siloed systems, and lagging indicators—simply can’t keep up. The solution lies in determining how to leverage…

Read More

Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. James P. Pappas

UPCEA joins colleagues, friends, and the broader higher education community in mourning the passing of Dr. James P. Pappas, who dedicated his career to advancing the reach, relevance, and impact of online, professional and continuing education. Dr. Pappas, a former President of UPCEA, was the 1999 Walton S. Bittner Service Citation Award recipient and 2006…

Read More

What Higher Education Leaders Can Learn from NGA’s Intersectional Policy Lab

In late August, I had the opportunity to join the National Governors Association’s Intersectional Policy Lab on Non-Degree Credentials and Skills-Based Practices in Minneapolis. This first in-person gathering of NGA’s Data and Non-Degree Credential Learning Community and Skills in the States Community of Practice brought together state leaders, researchers, foundations, and employers for two days…

Read More

AI Payoff vs. the Web: What It Means for Higher Ed

When the New York Times ran a piece in August pointing out that companies are throwing billions into AI with little to show for it, I had déjà vu. It took me right back to the late 1990s, when everyone thought the web would change everything overnight. It did change everything—but not before years of…

Read More

Justice Department Threatens College Funding Over DEI Policies; Administration Requests Detailed Admissions Data | Policy Matters (August 2025)

Major Updates Justice Department Threatens College Funding Over DEI Policies; Administration Requests Detailed Admissions Data The U.S. Department of Justice has issued guidance warning that colleges and other federally funded institutions could lose federal support if they continue certain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. The DOJ’s new memo flags a sweeping range of campus…

Read More

Whether you need benchmarking studies, or market research for a new program, UPCEA Consulting is the right choice.

We know you. We know the challenges you face and we have the solutions you need. We speak your language and have been serving leaders like you for more than 100 years. UPCEA consultants are current or former continuing and online higher education professionals who are experts in the industry—put our expertise to work for you.


UPCEA is dedicated to advancing quality online learning at the institutional level. UPCEA is uniquely focused on excellence at the highest levels – leadership, administration, strategy – applying a macro lens to the online teaching and learning enterprise. Its engaged members include the stewards of online learning at most of the leading universities in the nation.

We offers a variety of custom research options through a variable pricing model.


Click here to learn more.

The Nation's Top Universities Choose UPCEA Consulting

Informed decisions. Ideas that work. The data you need. Trusted by the top universities in the nation.