Humyn Labs is aiming to reach $100 million in annual recurring revenue over the next 12 months as it doubles down on building what it calls a “human intelligence layer” for physical AI, with a $20 million investment to capture real-world human data used to train next-generation robots.In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Co-Founder Manish Agarwal said the company is focused on a critical gap in how artificial intelligence systems are currently trained. Unlike text or code-based AI models that rely heavily on internet data, robotics and physical AI require real-world, human-led inputs. “You can’t get data from the internet like you can for coding or text… you need to build from messy, noisy, real-world environments,” he said.The company is working at the intersection of training and voice enablement for machines, collecting and processing human behaviour data that allows robots to “walk, think, decide, and converse”. This includes egocentric datasets — first-person data that captures how humans see, move, and interact with objects. Agarwal compared the process to early childhood learning, noting that “a child from three months to five years learns how to walk… how to pick up a glass… all of that data comes through your hands and actions”.
The opportunity, according to Agarwal, extends across sectors where automation is either unsafe or inefficient for humans, including manufacturing, construction, and specialised tasks such as façade cleaning. He added that robots, or “robomates”, are likely to see wider adoption in Western markets, but their training will depend heavily on diverse real-world environments.Also Read | Humanoid robots outpace humans in Beijing half-marathonHumyn Labs is also investing in voice as a key interface for AI, particularly in markets like India. “If you want people to talk to AI, they are not going to type — they will speak,” Agarwal said, adding that dialect diversity presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The company is currently working across 33 languages and dialects and sees voice as essential to scaling AI adoption among India’s large smartphone user base.As artificial intelligence moves beyond screens into physical environments, companies like Humyn Labs are positioning themselves as key enablers of this shift, building the data backbone required to train machines to operate in the real world.First Published: Apr 21, 2026 8:32 PM IST
