The California State Athletic Commission has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Rek, a startup that staged a bout between a human and a humanoid robot, The Verge reported, citing earlier coverage from The New York Times.
The fight and the letter
The match took place on September 18th. Frankie LaPenna faced a robot owned by Rek, which was controlled by a person using what the Times described as a "remote virtual-reality system." The Verge noted that Rek calls itself "the humanoid robot fighting league" on its website, and that the machine appears to be an EngineAI robot with a Terminator-style head attached.
Rek CEO Cix Liv posted the commission's letter to X on September 30th. According to The Verge, the letter described the fight as "unsanctioned" and ordered Liv and Rek to stop holding, promoting or advertising any boxing or mixed martial arts contest or exhibition involving a human unless the commission signs off.
Liv's public reaction was brief. "We made it boys," he wrote, per The Verge.
What comes next
Rek's next event is set for Friday and will feature two armed robots fighting each other, The Verge reported. The letter as described covers contests involving a human, and the sources do not say how the commission views a robot-versus-robot bout or whether Rek will change its plans.
Why it matters: the commission's wording draws its line at human participation, even when the human opponent is facing a machine that another person is steering. The sources don't say whether any further action is planned.
Reporting sources: The Verge, “California is trying to shut down robot vs. human cage matches”.