TRO | Tesla claims it will sell humanoid robots by the end of 2027

Plus, Spotify rolls out AI-enabled ‘prompted playlists’ and Vertical AI legal startup Harvey acquires Hexus.

Author

Meliora Company
January 26, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Subscribe | 26th January, 2026

In this fast-moving GenAI economy, headlines are everywhere but optimism is rare.

Here’s our take on 3 stories that will help you be relentlessly optimistic about the future.

1. Tesla claims it will sell humanoid robots by the end of 2027

Big news this week in the ever-growing AI robotics space, with Tesla CEO announcing he believes Tesla will start selling humanoid robots to the public by the end of 2027.

Elon Musk appeared at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, where he spoke about a future where widespread deployment of robots and artificial intelligence could transform economic production and raise living standards. Musk spoke about Tesla’s humanoid robot project, known as Optimus, and said current versions of the robot are performing basic factory tasks. If development continues as planned, Tesla aims to introduce humanoid robots for public purchase within roughly two years.

Here’s why this matters: Physical AI was a leading theme at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January, with autonomous collaborative robots increasingly emerging as core industrial infrastructure. With Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s President, claiming that AI robotics is a ‘once-in'-a-generation opportunity’ at Davos this week, it’s clear that AI robotics, and in particular humanoid robotics are going to be a big focus for the technology sector this year.

With ageing populations and an ever-changing workforce, humanoid robotics are an increasingly likely solution to labour shortages and a necessary augmentation to the workforce - particularly in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing and agriculture. If you’re interested in reading more about the impact of AI-enabled humanoid robots, this Barclay’s report is worth a look.

2. Spotify rolls out AI-enabled ‘prompted playlists’

This week, streaming giant Spotify has launched ‘prompted playlists’ to users in the US and Canada - a natural language way for users to describe the type of music they’d like to listen to, and Spotify builds it from there.

Spotify tells users that the new feature ‘lets you describe exactly what you want to listen to using your own words, then generates a playlist informed by your listening history and what’s happening in music right now. It’s a new way to put meaningful control of the algorithm directly in your hands, with your ideas, your logic, and your creativity.’

Here’s why this matters: Whilst the rollout of prompted playlists is part of a revenue generation effort to convert more free users into paid subscribers, Spotify is also continuing to invest in AI in response to listeners desires to further shape their own listening experience.

With vertical AI increasingly impacting people’s ability to create and personalise their own music experiences through products like Suno, ElevenLabs and Udio we are really seeing a shift away from entertainment being a passive experience to one of agency, creativity and deep engagement - not only in video, but in audio too.

3. Vertical AI legal startup Harvey acquires Hexus

Harvey Legal, the vertical AI startup that was backed by the OpenAI startup fund and is now valued at over US$8b has made its first M&A play and acquired Hexus - a two-year old startup that builds tools for product videos and guides. The acquisition will mean that the Hexus engineering team will accelerate Harvey’s offerings for in-house legal teams.

Here’s why this matters: The legal AI space is moving extremely quickly and this is the first sign of consolidation in an increasingly competitive market. Commentary on the acquisition indicates that this play by Harvey is a sign that the company is buying the skillsets and capabilities it needs to stay ahead in the sector.

With vertical AI startups like Harvey solving real-world business problems in sectors ripe for innovation, it is no surprise that increasing competition has appeared within the industry. Harvey now claims more than 1,000 clients across 60 countries.

Still Curious?

  • Google is now providing Gemini-powered practice exams for students

  • Humans& raises US$480m seed round to build AI models for collaboration

  • Google is nabbing top talent from AI voice start-up, Hume AI

  • AI makes human intelligence more important, not less

  • Former Sequoia partners’ new start-up uses AI to negotiate your calendar for you

  • Voice AI engine and OpenAI partner LiveKit hits US$1b valuation

  • Google Gemini pioneer, Demis Hassabis, is looking at how AI can ‘solve’ disease

  • Anthropic publishes ‘Claude’s Constitution’, a document addressed to Claude and used at different stages in the model’s training to shape its character.

  • Google’s AI Mode can now tap into your Gmail and photos to provide tailored responses

  • Former Google trio is building an interactive AI-powered learning app for kids

  • YouTube is about to let creators make Shorts with their own AI likeness

Our Pursuit Of Better

Language learning marketplace, Preply, is now valued at US$1.2b after raising a US$150m Series D round. The Duolingo competitor has been connecting language learners with tutors since 2013 and has ramped up AI integration to continue scaling.

Todoist, a popular to-do list app, now allows you to describe your tasks using natural language. Their new AI-powered “voice-to-tasks” feature, ‘Todoist Ramble’, takes your unstructured speech and turns it into organised tasks, using Gemini 2.5 to transcribe your audio and identify tasks, dates, and other details you mention.

Netflix has launched a new feature that will allow users to interact with live content through voting. The streaming company is test-drove the new feature with the premiere of its livestreamed talent show “Star Search” on 20th January. The feature is intended to work globally for future live streaming events.

The Story of Absolute Radio - a brand worth fighting for.

Absolute Radio is born but three days before launch, a legal challenge over the name threatens to throw all of their plans off course.

This is a story of how courageous courage, curiosity and relentless optimism led to the creation of one the radio industry’s most well-known brands.

Meliora Associate Spotlight

Ricky Sutton - Australia

Ricky’s career spans three decades at the intersection of journalism and technology. He has reported from conflict zones, led global newsrooms, and advised global companies from News Corp and CNN to Microsoft.

Anthony Abbott - Greece

Anthony is a strategic and outcomes-driven product leader with over 20 years of international business experience in the media and entertainment sector. He specialises in digital and audio streaming.

The Pursuit of Better, Together

If this week’s newsletter sparked something, pass it on to a colleague. The best conversations often start with “You’ve got to read this”.