The latest investment data shows that investor interest in humanoid robotics is accelerating rapidly within the broader AI market. According to some analysts, however, much of this momentum is being driven by hype rather than commercial readiness, raising concerns that humanoid robotics could become AI’s next bubble.
That many humanoid robotics companies face fundamental challenges with cost and reliability that will not be solved any time soon is reflected in a report by CB Insights.
Recent major venture capital (VC) reports from KPMG and PitchBook confirm that AI remains in the lead, accounting for more than half of all investments this year. Given that the AI market is shifting rapidly toward industrial humanoid robotics, there is a risk that the flood of AI capital is pushing robotics toward a speculative zone, with too many startups promising breakthroughs without commercial evidence.
The reason for this interest is because AI gives humanoids a commercial potential that was previously not possible.
In the U.S., during the last quarter of 2025, industrial humanoid robotics captured 17 deals – the most of any category. AI was still the primary destination for investors, split into several categories, such as coding AI agents and copilots (14 deals), end-to-end software development AI agents (12), and others.
According to Daiva Rakauskaitė, the partner and manager of Aneli Capital, there are strong similarities between today’s AI-driven investment boom and the dotcom bubble in the early 2000s, leaving many startups exposed.
Rakauskaitė tells Digital Journal she expects the AI bubble to burst in 2-3 years: “Many AI startups that can’t yet generate revenue will fail, but we’re reaching a consensus on that in the market. While the same risks persist in humanoid robotics, many investors tend to overlook this.”
Rakauskaitė adds: “However, it is important to distinguish robotics from humanoid robotics; industrial and logistics robots already generate revenue and can deliver measurable results, while humanoids can’t yet prove their commercial value.”
Currently, companies around the world demonstrate prototypes of robots performing actions from running to boxing, sparking interest from users and investors. However, in the real world, they have few practical commercial applications.
Similar challenges also persist for industrial humanoid robotics. These companies face challenges with inference (ability to make decisions in real time), dexterity (how well the robot can physically handle things), reliability, and cost, which limit the initial use cases to factories and warehouses with predictable sets of tasks.
According to Rakauskaitė, especially now, when investments are driven by hype, venture capitalists should not forget the fundamentals and prioritize revenue-first philosophy, where real money matters more than growth at all costs.
“Investments in robotics and AI are crucial for the future development of humanity. But investors should remain disciplined and back companies that have realistic goals based on economics, not hype. From day one, startups should aim for early revenue streams through licensing, partnerships and have a clear model of monetization in the near future. The same revenue-first philosophy can be applied to any field,” Rakauskaitė explains.
Despite early signs of a bubble in humanoid robotics, she remains confident in the broader robotics sector, where cheaper hardware and rapid advances in AI are accelerating real-world deployment.
