Genesis AI and Khosla Revolutionize Robotics with GENE-26.5

Genesis AI, a promising startup in the field of robotics, has recently attracted attention by unveiling its revolutionary model, the GENE-26.5. This company, backed by Khosla Ventures, successfully raised $105 million in its initial funding round, co-led by Eclipse and Khosla Ventures, aimed at developing fundamental artificial intelligence for robotics. The GENE-26.5 model, accompanied by innovative robotic hands, was showcased in a demonstration video where these hands performed complex tasks such as cooking, making smoothies, and even solving a Rubik's cube.

Zhou Xian, co-founder and CEO of Genesis AI, explained that the main goal of the startup was to design a superior model capable of enhancing robot intelligence. However, the company quickly realized the necessity of controlling the hardware, opting for an integrated approach. "The model has always been the goal, as a better model means better intelligence," said Zhou Xian. This strategy sets Genesis AI apart from competitors like Physical Intelligence and Skild AI, which also operate at the intersection of AI and robotics.

The robotic hands developed by Genesis AI stand out due to their size and shape, which mimic that of a human hand. This feature represents a significant advancement over the two-finger grippers commonly used by other robotics companies. Théophile Gervet, co-founder and president of Genesis, and a former researcher at Mistral AI, emphasized that this design allows for the collection of much more data to train models capable of performing a wider range of tasks. "This allows us to collect much more data than before, to train a model capable of performing many more tasks," he stated.

Among Genesis's innovations, a sensory glove stands out particularly. This lightweight and easy-to-wear device collects real-time data, mimicking human movements to reduce the embodiment gap often encountered in robotics. Gervet mentioned that this glove could be used in various sectors, such as pharmaceuticals or manufacturing, to gather data without disrupting daily work. "We are currently in talks with many clients, and a significant part of the value of a glove would be that, for the first time, you can wear the data collection device while performing your daily work," he added.

However, questions remain regarding workers' acceptance of wearing these gloves and cameras. Genesis AI has not yet finalized the details concerning compensation for this data collection. The founders acknowledge that some clients may choose not to share this data with the startup. "We have not yet defined the details," Gervet admitted.

Genesis AI, which emerged in July 2025, has benefited from financial support from investors such as Eclipse, Bpifrance, and personalities like Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and Xavier Niel. With offices in Paris, California, and London, the company employs 60 people, spread across Europe and the United States. "One of the main reasons we decided to be in Europe is that there is a huge density of talent across the continent," Gervet stated.

In addition to its robotic hands, Genesis plans to launch a versatile full-body robot. Zhou Xian asserted that the ultimate goal of the startup is to build the most capable robotic system while maintaining its initial roadmap. "Our goal is to build the most capable robotic system," he said. The current version of the model, named GENE-26.5 for May 2026, is the result of numerous iterations made possible by a simulation developed by the company. "The real bottleneck for the speed of model iteration is evaluation. This helps us significantly accelerate the training of the model," Zhou Xian explained.

Beyond simulation, data will be essential for training models capable of helping robots perform more tasks. This is also where Genesis's glove could be useful. Unlike bulky data collection devices that hinder, the glove is just as lightweight and easy to wear as the safety gloves already used in many industries, while being relatively inexpensive to manufacture. "This marks an important milestone for their team and for the robotics industry more broadly," said Eric Schmidt, highlighting the potential impact of Genesis AI on the sector.

Genesis AI is also considering paying third-party partners to collect data, thereby building its own "library of human skills." Its model is already trained on "huge amounts of internet videos based on humans," according to a press release. Coupled with its simulation system, this could help Genesis reduce the costs of its technology for real-world applications like those it has demonstrated.