How WPP accelerates humanoid robot training 10x with G4 VMs

Below, we detail the specific reinforcement learning (RL) workflow, the challenges of the “sim-to-real” gap, and the infrastructure that makes it possible.

The lessons learned here apply far beyond entertainment. Our process for mastering complex, natural movement on a film set can be replicated across industries to overcome the massive computational complexity of training robots.

Where we started: redefining the agency model

WPP is one of the world’s largest marketing organizations, handling $70 billion of media for enterprise clients. For us, building AI into our production workflows meant fundamentally redefining the agency model, both in terms of processes, relationships, and tools. Notably, we launched WPP Open last year, our proprietary AI operating platform, where we’re able to take the best of Gemini’s multimodal intelligence, along with other models, and incorporate them directly into every creative step.

The results were immediate. For one of our clients, Verizon, we built an AI-infused promo pipeline that delivered 15 videos in 70% less time, with 50% to 70% efficiency gains across the production cycle. WPP Open has proven so effective for our teams, we’ve begun offering it to our clients, so they can tackle projects in new ways and we can collaborate faster and better.

WPP Open has also challenged and inspired us to look for more ambitious applications of AI. With the latest advancements in Google Cloud’s AI Infrastructure, we saw an opportunity to tackle more complex problems at the cutting edge of creative development.

Why teach a robot to dance?

Our robotics work started with teaching a machine to dance — and not just because we knew a dancing robot would make for a compelling demo. Dance, along with martial arts, is generally accepted as the cutting edge of complex human motion. Mastering these complex movements is a critical step toward achieving natural robotic motion.

For our benchmarking project, we trained our robot to perform a dance sequence captured in a previous project with Universal Music Group.