TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The era of humanoid robots serving alongside humans in workplaces has drawn significantly closer, according to Jonney Shih (施崇棠), the influential chairman of ASUS (華碩), one of Taiwan's leading technology companies. During the company's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday (May 28), Shih revealed that recent breakthroughs in artificial general intelligence (AGI) have dramatically enhanced the viability of sophisticated humanoid machines capable of functioning as "digital employees" across diverse settings.
The tech executive expressed enthusiasm about NVIDIA's (輝達) — the world's leading AI chip manufacturer — recent decision to locate its Taiwan headquarters in the Beitou Shilin Technology Park (北士科), a burgeoning technology hub in northern Taipei. ASUS disclosed impressive financial results, reporting consolidated revenue of NT$587.1 billion (approximately US$19.6 billion) for 2024, representing a 22% year-over-year increase, alongside a net profit of NT$31.4 billion (about US$1.05 billion), nearly doubling with a 97% surge. Company shareholders approved a cash dividend of NT$34 (approximately US$1.14) per share.
The chairman offered a candid assessment of ASUS's previous venture into robotics with its Zenbo model, which faced significant limitations due to rudimentary artificial intelligence capabilities. Current AGI developments have enabled more sophisticated general intelligence by leveraging language as a symbolic framework, dramatically improving the viability of advanced humanoid systems. Shih framed the ongoing AI revolution in historical terms, describing it as the fourth industrial revolution — a transformation distinguished by its unique capacity to generate intelligence directly and fundamentally reshape productivity paradigms across economic sectors.
In colorful industry terminology, the ASUS chairman characterized emerging AI models such as DeepSeek as "kung fu for the poor," suggesting these systems deliver powerful artificial intelligence capabilities without requiring enormous computational resources. Shih elaborated on the distinctive qualities of agentic AI, which differs from conventional AI through enhanced authorization frameworks that enable complex task automation with minimal human oversight. This technological evolution portends a fundamental reimagining of computing interfaces, potentially transforming operating systems into agent-centric platforms that could radically alter user experiences and organizational management structures. ◼
