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Home > CXOTalk > Robots and Physical AI: Strategy and Technology 2025
Podcast: CXOTalk
Episode:

Robots and Physical AI: Strategy and Technology 2025
Category: Technology
Duration: 00:51:51
Publish Date: 2026-01-15 16:16:27
Description:

An AI chatbot that hallucinates is annoying. A robot or physical AI that hallucinates can cause injury or death. Burkhard Boeckem, CTO of Hexagon, explains why the bar for physical AI is fundamentally higher than digital AI, and what it takes to deploy robots that actually work in the real world. All this in CXOTalk episode 905.In this conversation, we cover:→ What physical AI actually means (and why it's different from the AI you use every day)→ Why digital twins are the foundation for training robots safely→ The gap between impressive YouTube demos and robots that create economic value→ Functional safety: the "big theme" coming in 2026→ Cloud vs. edge computing for autonomous systems→ Where robotics deployments fail (hint: it's not the technology)→ What boards get wrong about robotics investments→ Timeline: when will we see real autonomy?Key insight: "Many boards overestimate the speed and underestimate the system work. It's not a software rollout—it's a complex engineering system."Burkhard's prediction: Autonomy in constrained environments is 1-3 years away. The "butler humanoid" that does everything? Still a ways off.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction: What is Physical AI?02:06 Digital Twins as the Foundation03:23 Understanding Ground Truth06:42 Digital AI vs. Physical AI: Safety and Reliability08:47 Real-World Business Applications10:48 Security and Functional Safety14:57 CES Announcements and Industry State20:01 Cloud vs. Edge Computing in Robotics22:32 Regulations for Physical AI25:10 Addressing Bias in Physical AI27:51 Timeline to Autonomy31:46 Creating Economic Value Beyond Demos33:26 Where Robotics Deployments Fail35:59 The Future of Humanoid Form Factors38:38 The Humanoid as User Interface40:06 Digital Twins for Robotics42:36 Fleet Collaboration and Swarm Intelligence43:46 What Boards Get Wrong About Robotics45:18 The Future of Work46:32 Responsible Deployment47:15 Manager AIs for Worker AIs?48:16 Looking Ahead: Next 2-3 Years49:37 Core Technical Challenges————————————————

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