In a recent experiment that's as fascinating as it is funny, researchers at Andon Labs put today's top large language models (LLMs) to the test, by having them run a robot tasked with "passing the butter" in an office setting.
The goal? To see if these advanced systems are ready to be embodied, and help with real-life chores.
The experiment, which was powered by various models including ChatGPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude Opus 4.1 and others, was simple but challenging: To find a butter pack, recognize it among multiple items, track down the human 'recipient' (who could move from to room), and deliver the butter. Its performance was scored by task segment and overall accuracy.
The results were mixed, and often comical. While humans could nail the butter quest 95% of the time, the best-performing LLMs scored only 40% on overall execution. Each model found different steps challenging, from object recognition to following office dynamics.
