[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk identified a key mistake in the company’s past production automation strategy as trying to assign robots even tasks that people could easily handle.

According to the IT media outlet TechRadar on June 18 local time, Musk acknowledged in remarks at a June 2018 shareholder meeting and in subsequent comments that there were periods when automation hindered, rather than improved, productivity.

The problem Musk pointed to was when Tesla introduced large-scale automation and robotic equipment into the Model 3 production process in 2018. At the time, robots could not smoothly handle tasks such as fitting flexible trim or hoses in the final assembly stage. It meant robot performance fell short of expectations in processes requiring precise force control and manual dexterity.

He later said on social media that Tesla’s introduction of excessive automation was instead a mistake. The remark symbolically shows a gap between expectations that robots can replace all tasks on the factory floor and the reality of running production lines.

That said, Tesla has not retreated from its robot strategy. Tesla is currently pushing mass production of its humanoid robot Optimus, with a target selling price presented at $25,000. Musk’s past comments suggest that selecting which tasks to automate matters more than rejecting the expansion of robots itself.

In this context, the current level of robot technology is also drawing renewed attention. Recent humanoid robots have shown significant progress in appearance and demonstration stages, but tasks in real physical environments that require high levels of agility and understanding still remain a challenge, it noted. It is being highlighted that advanced artificial intelligence, cognitive reasoning and contextual understanding must come together to broaden the scope of deployment on site.

The case also shows that robots still have limitations. People retain strengths in tasks that require manual skills and situational judgment, but robots may lack the agility and cognitive reasoning needed in these areas.

Ultimately, Musk’s remarks are read as a case that asks again about the direction of manufacturing automation. It was reaffirmed that the success or failure of introducing robots depends less on the pace of expanding equipment than on accurately identifying which processes are better suited to robots than humans. Even with Optimus mass production planned, whether it can deliver meaningful results in actual industrial settings depends on how far it can overcome these limitations.