Who Owns the Machine? Reflections on Neo, AI, and the Meaning of Autonomy
At the end of October 2025, 1X Technologies' humanoid robot Neo swept through the tech world like a heatwave. This sleek robot, backed by OpenAI, is touted as the first truly home-friendly physical assistant.
Priced at around $20,000 or $499 per month for leasing, Neo can clean, carry items, and even learn new tasks through imitation. In just a few days, it became the internet's focal point — seemingly, a tireless family companion has finally arrived.
Yet, behind the cheers, a profound reflection on "autonomy" quietly unfolds. Remote control offers the illusion of convenience, but it exposes a core pain point in the AI industry: human operators still lurk in the shadows, and what happens to your privacy data?
As Curious CEO David Tomasian puts it:
"True autonomy is the only way machines can belong to us."
An Illusion: The Myth of Humanoid Robot "Autonomy"
Neo's launch is indeed exhilarating: standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 66 pounds, it uses tendon-driven actuators mimicking human muscles, wrapped in a soft shell for safety. Hugging Face co-founder Thomas Wolf exclaimed on X that Neo has "advanced" his timeline for home robot adoption.
In demos, Neo waters plants, opens doors, washes clothes, and scrubs dishes, turning mundane chores into something poetic and efficient.
But this excitement was quickly doused by reality. The Wall Street Journal's hands-on report reveals that many of Neo's movements are still remotely controlled in real time by "experts" via VR.
This isn't sci-fi — it's the current state of AI, where remote piloting aids companies in training models through imitation and reinforcement learning, yet reduces the robot from "independent helper" to "human extension."
Tomasian sharply notes that under this model, your "private robot" isn't truly private: it not only observes your life but uploads data to the cloud, fueling the manufacturer's training.
When a robot can "see" your home layout, recognize your voice, and analyze your habits — yet remains tethered to the manufacturer's servers — who does it really belong to?
From Factory to Home: The Privacy Cost Beneath Autonomy
The wave of humanoid robots is flowing from factories to living rooms. Figure AI's Figure 02 and Tesla's Optimus aim to reshape industry, while Neo pushes the vision into consumer territory — not just productivity, but companionship itself.
This trend is especially urgent in elderly care. Pilot projects in Japan, Korea, and parts of Europe are testing robots for assisting daily activities, monitoring health, and providing emotional support. But Tomasian points out: "The difference between aid and true care lies in understanding context and emotion." If data isn't encrypted and stored locally, "the robot isn't yours—it's someone else's lens."
Privacy expert Kohei Kurihara disclosed on X that Neo users must sign a waiver allowing manufacturers access to certain operational data. This "tech-for-convenience" pact hides cracks in trust. A Medium article bluntly states that this $20,000 robot "needs a human babysitter", with complex tasks requiring an appointment for "expert mode," making users feel like they're renting a "surveilled puppet."
Tomasian emphasizes that for embodied intelligence to evolve like language models, three things are essential: on-device reasoning, multimodal understanding, and encrypted autonomy. AI must not just execute commands but comprehend "why" they are given, ensuring data sovereignty belongs to the user. True care reliability stems from security and privacy, not algorithmic complexity. In other words, autonomy isn't just a technical issue — it's a social contract: Machines should embody trust, not extend surveillance.
From Embodied to Digital: AI Agents' Lessons on Autonomy
Neo's controversy reflects a deeper trend: "Autonomy" isn't confined to mechanical limbs — it's also about digital intelligence. Rather than teaching robots in your living room how to wash dishes, why not have agents on the network learn to "act on your behalf"?
AI Agents are the extension of this direction. They're not humanoid replicas but digital extensions of human will — capable of executing tasks, making decisions, and completing transactions on behalf of users, with data ownership retained by the individual.
IBM's "2025 AI Agent Report" states that Agentic AI promises an 8x productivity boost, hinging on autonomous reasoning combined with privacy protection.
Google Cloud research shows 52% of enterprises using generative AI have deployed AI Agents.
Deloitte predicts half of companies will enable Agentic AI by 2027.
Gartner forecasts that within four years, agents will autonomously handle 15% of daily decisions.
This shift redefines "autonomy": no longer machines mimicking human limbs, but agents learning to represent human intent.
XWorld: A Real-World Experiment in "Machines Belonging to People"
Amid this trend, the XWorld platform's explorations stand out. Since its 2023 launch, it has built a self-sustaining "agent economy" by combining AI training with token incentives: users can create, deploy, and monetize their own AI Agents. The integration of stablecoins makes settlements lower-friction, ensuring value flows under user control.
Today, XWorld boasts over 11 million downloads and 1 million monthly actives in its Telegram MiniApp ecosystem, with cumulative token trading volume exceeding $34.7 million.
Here, autonomy is no illusion — it's a reality co-built by users, developers, and agents: machines not only execute instructions but become "intelligence we own."
Epilogue: Who Truly Owns the Machines?
Neo reminds us: when "autonomy" becomes a selling point, oversight and trust must evolve in tandem.
The future shown by the AI Agent industry offers another possibility:
Machines are no longer just used, but truly "owned";
They no longer serve the network, but human will and data sovereignty.
XWorld's experiment may provide the answer: when "agent autonomy" merges with "user ownership," machines finally begin to belong to us.
In the future, when robots no longer need human eyes, that may be humanity's true liberation.
🔗 Learn more and join XWorld
Website | Whitepaper | Twitter | Telegram | Youtube | Linktree
XWorld Christmas Event: 6,350,000 $BUILD Prize Pool Awaits!
XWorld brings cheer this Christmas! Inspired by the magic of the season, join us to celebrate, connect, and create unforgettable moments together!
📅 Event Duration
December 10, 2024 - December 30, 2024
🎁 Reward 1: Social King for Telegram
We’ll select the Top 10 most active users in the Telegram community to win:
🥇 1st: 30 USDT
🥈 2nd: 20 USDT
🥉 3rd: 15 USDT
4th-10th: 5 USDT each
🎁 Reward 2: Social King for Discord
Top 5 active users in the Discord community will win: Social King title + 10,000 $BUILD each 👑
🎁 Reward 3: Telegram Random Draw
Complete interactive tasks to enter the Telegram random draw. 20 lucky users will win 20 $WORLD each! 🎉
🎁 Reward 4: 5,000,000 $BUILD Prize Pool
Telegram Channel reaches 35,000 subscribers: 1,000,000 $BUILD of giftcodes shared with 10,000 people
Telegram Channel reaches 40,000 subscribers: 1,500,000 $BUILD of giftcodes shared with 2,000 people
Telegram Channel reaches 50,000 subscribers: 2,500,000 $BUILD of giftcodes shared with 1,000 people
📝 How to Participate in Tasks:
✅ Daily Check-ins: Send gm in our community #off-topic channel to check in.
✅ Subscribe to Telegram Channel (enable notifications for hidden gift codes).
✅ Visit MiniAPP
✅ Level Up Your Pet to Level 10
✅ Follow Official Twitter
✅ Join Telegram Group
✅ Join Discord Server
✅ Share Event Link and invite friends to join!
✅ Spread Christmas Cheer: Send Happy Christmas in our community #activity-zone channel.
⚠️ Important Notes:
Social King rewards for Telegram and Discord are mutually exclusive.
Telegram Random Draw winners and Social King winners cannot be the same. Alternate winners will be chosen if needed.
No cheating: Spamming, fake accounts, or manipulation will lead to disqualification. 🚫
Winners must complete all interactive tasks. If not, their rewards will be revoked. Winners will be announced within 3 working days, and rewards will be distributed within 7 working days.
X-WORLD reserves the final interpretation of the event rule.
AI Agents on the Rise — The Driving Force Behind Stablecoin Adoption?
As stablecoins gain momentum in global finance, AI agents are emerging as the key force driving adoption. Galaxy Digital founder Mike Novogratz predicts that AI will soon become the largest user of stablecoins. From payments to autonomous economies, this convergence is reshaping the future of Web3. At the forefront of this shift, XWorld has already built a self-sustaining ecosystem that integrates AI agents and stablecoin-powered transactions.
Stablecoin Adoption Enters a New Era
Stablecoins, digital assets pegged to fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar, have become the backbone of digital finance. They offer price stability, rapid settlement, and cross-chain interoperability. As of August 2025, the global stablecoin market cap has reached $280 billion, accounting for 7% of the total crypto market.
In the U.S., the GENIUS Act (Guidance and Establishment for National Innovation of U.S. Stablecoins), passed in July 2025, has provided long-awaited regulatory clarity—boosting confidence and accelerating adoption.
At the same time, the rise of AI agents is bringing new possibilities to stablecoin usage.
Adoption Signals from Industry Leaders
Tech giants like Apple, Google, Airbnb, and X (formerly Twitter) are testing stablecoin integrations to cut fees and optimize cross-border transactions.
Retail platforms such as Shopify and Spar are enabling stablecoin payments for faster, cheaper settlements.
Payment networks including Visa are expanding settlement capabilities, embedding stablecoins into the global financial infrastructure.
This mainstream adoption coincides with the emergence of AI-driven automation.
Novogratz: AI Will Become the Largest Stablecoin User
Galaxy Digital founder and CEO Mike Novogratz told Bloomberg: “In the not-so-distant future, the biggest user of stablecoins is going to be AI.”
He envisions AI agents handling everyday transactions on behalf of users:
Grocery agents that purchase food based on your diet.
Travel agents that book and pay for trips automatically.
Healthcare agents that manage insurance and prescription payments.
Coinbase developers echo this, suggesting that AI agents may become Ethereum’s largest power users, leveraging protocols like HTTP 402 for autonomous payments.
Research firm Bernstein projects the stablecoin market could reach $3 trillion by 2028, with AI adoption acting as a major driver.
XWorld: From Vision to Reality
While the industry debates the “AI + stablecoin” future, XWorld is already building it.
Launched in 2023, XWorld has grown into a self-sustaining agent economy, combining AI training, tokenized incentives, and stablecoin-based settlements. Users can create, deploy, and monetize AI agents across entertainment, gaming, and productivity—while stablecoins enable frictionless, global payments.
Key ecosystem highlights:
11M+ cumulative downloads and 1M+ MAUs on Telegram MiniApp, with 400K+ community members across platforms.
$22M+ in 2024 revenue, over 2B gameplay records, and $347M+ in token trading volume.
Popular agents include FactoryMind (+23,037% weekly gain) in smart manufacturing and NeoBody AI (+23.37%) in embodied intelligence.
Expanding use cases in healthcare AI, data analytics, and gaming, already aligning with stablecoin-backed micropayments.
These figures prove that the foundation of an autonomous agent economy is already in place.
Looking Ahead: XWorld’s Role in the AI–Stablecoin Future
Amid regulatory tailwinds and accelerating adoption, XWorld is set to lead the convergence of AI and stablecoins:
2026–2027: Achieve multi-agent intelligent collaboration and open SDKs/APIs, unlocking new income models for developers and community creators.
2028–2029: Enter the “AI-for-Everyone” era, fully launching agent creation tools and a modular marketplace for trading AI components.
2030 and beyond: Build a unified GameFi clearing system serving 500M+ users, powering metaverse economies driven by AI Agents—from autonomous driving to cosmic exploration—with stablecoins as the foundational layer for payments.
Conclusion
The convergence of AI agents and stablecoins is more than a possibility—it is already unfolding. Stablecoins are evolving from financial instruments into the currency of autonomous systems, and XWorld is at the forefront of making this transformation real.
The next chapter of Web3 will not only be decentralized but also autonomous, agent-driven, and powered by stablecoins.
🔗 Learn more and join XWorld
Website: xworlds.biz
Whitepaper: GitBook
MiniAPP: Telegram
Community: Telegram Group
Twitter: @xworld_ai
Linktree: xworld_ai