AI_talks
A space for the Cluj-Napoca AI community to connect, learn, and fuel innovation.
Next session: October 22, 2025
Where: RebelDot, Buftea no. 1, 7 Floor
Free entrance, 35 seats available
Lucian Burcu
💬 the_subject
Can an AI Act Beyond the Screen?
GR00T, the Shift From Writing Code to Training Robots
We’re entering an era where AI doesn’t just generate, but it also it acts. Join us for a deep dive into the world of physical AI, where models learn to understand natural language, vision, and motion to interact with the real world.
Our focus: NVIDIA’s GR00T, a Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model designed to help robots learn new tasks instead of being hand-coded. Together, we’ll explore what this shift means for the future of development, automation, and human-AI collaboration.
And because ideas are best tested in reality, you’ll also meet RebelBot, our robot powered by GR00T, in a demo that shows how cutting-edge research can turn into practical robotics.
🎤 the_host
Andreea Monea
AI Engineer
Andreea is an AI Engineer and enthusiast with four years of practical experience in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Computer Vision. As a former Google DeepMind Scholar, she is now a real-world problem solver, dedicated to making AI more accessible and enhancing its practical applications, always aiming for tangible success in real-world scenarios.
🤖 live_demo
Andrei Voic and Alexandru Luci
AI Engineers
Get a hands-on look at RebelBot, our in-house robotic arm powered by NVIDIA’s GR00T, built and trained by RebelDot’s own AI Engineers, Andrei Voic and Alexandru Luci.
Andrei and Alex are passionate about exploring how AI and robotics can move beyond theory into real-world impact. Combining curiosity with hands-on experimentation, they approach technology as both science and art, blending reasoning, data, and creativity to bring machines to life.
Recently, their innovative work earned them a win at the OpenAI Hackathon, where they showcased how AI can learn, adapt, and act in the physical world - in front of a jury featuring members from NVIDIA, Hugging Face, Ollama, and other leading AI organizations.
📖 meetup_agenda
17:30 welcome_coffee
Meet us at Rebel Café on the 3rd floor and grab a warm one to start the evening right. After that, we’ll head up to the 7th floor for the session.
18:00 meetup_session
🎤 Can an AI Act Beyond the Screen?
Andreea will guide us through the rise of Vision-Language-Action models, the GR00T framework, and how robots are learning to act in our world. Then, we'll attend a live demonstration of our RebelBot by Andrei Voic and Alexandru Luci, recent winners of the OpenAI Hackathon, where their project was evaluated by experts from NVIDIA, Hugging Face, Ollama and others.
19:00 networking_and_explore_rebeldot
Stay around after the talk to connect with fellow AI enthusiasts, explore our office, and get a feel of life at RebelDot. Our teams will be around for a chat – whether you’re curious about our projects, culture, or just up for good conversations.