The Cogito Brief

Good morning,

For the past few years, AI has mostly lived inside your screens. You ask ChatGPT a question, get an answer, and move on with your day. But what happens when AI leaves the screen?

That question may define the next decade of technology, and Boston Dynamics is already giving us a glimpse into the future.

Let’s dive in!

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AI has lived inside your computers and phones. You ask ChatGPT a question and it:

Did you catch the common theme? Everything happens on a screen. But what happens when AI leaves your screen and starts interacting with the physical world?

That's what Boston Dynamics is working toward, and it's one of the reasons I'm so fascinated by the company and the robots that they’re working to build.

That robot’s name is Atlas, and it’s being developed to work inside factories and warehouses. At first glance, you may wonder why companies are spending billions of dollars trying to build robots that look and move like humans. The answer is surprisingly simple: humans built the world for humans.

Our factories have hallways, shelves, doors, stairs, workstations, and tools that were all designed around human movement. Instead of spending enormous amounts of money rebuilding every facility to accommodate specialized robots, companies are now trying to build robots that can operate inside environments that already exist.

In other words, it may be easier to build a robot that fits the factory than to rebuild the factory itself.

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What makes Atlas fascinating is that it’s not being positioned as a household assistant (yet). Boston Dynamics is focused on repetitive physical work in industrial environments. Imagine a factory worker whose job is to walk to a shelf, pick up an item, carry it to another location, and repeat that same process hundreds of times per day. Those are exactly the types of tasks humanoid robots are being trained to perform.

The bigger story here is that AI is entering a new phase. The first phase was information…AI learned how to process text, images, audio, and video.

The next phase is action…AI is beginning to move beyond answering questions and into completing tasks in the real world.

Companies can now study human movement by tracking how people walk, reach, lift objects, balance themselves, and complete physical tasks. Over time, that information can help robots improve their own movements and become more effective at real-world work. This is when AI becomes something that can physically interact with the world around us and change the fundamentals of everyday life.

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That’s why I believe humanoid robots will become the biggest story in technology once they roll out the door. Because physical labor represents a massive part of the global economy and if companies can safely automate even a small percentage of repetitive physical tasks, the economic impact could be enormous.

One thing I’ve learned while following AI these past few years is that progress rarely happens all at once. It usually starts quietly, then companies begin testing it in controlled environments. Then eventually, it becomes normal.

Just a few years ago, most people had never heard of ChatGPT. Today, hundreds of millions of people use AI tools every month.

Humanoid robots may be following a similar path. The next AI revolution may not happen inside your computer…it may be walking around a factory floor and then eventually your home.

Please take a look at my YouTube channel and if you like The Cogito Brief, share with your friends! Our community is growing and I want to be a helping hand to as many friends as I can. Talk to you on Friday.

Zack Wright