Sony’s AI Robot Is Beating Elite Table Tennis Players

Sony’s artificial intelligence unit has reached a major milestone in robotics with the development of “Ace,” an AI-powered robotic arm capable of competing against elite and professional table tennis players.

According to research published in the journal Nature, this industrial-sized robot can perceive, react to, and return high-speed shots with complex spins that typically baffle amateur machines.

During testing, Ace won the majority of its matches against elite players and has continued to show rapid improvement, successfully executing aggressive placements and high-speed rallies against top-tier professionals.

Beyond the ping-pong table, Sony AI leaders suggest that mastering such high-speed, real-time physical sensing and control lays the essential groundwork for future AI systems that can safely operate in dynamic, safety-critical environments like healthcare or advanced manufacturing.