What’s next for physical AI in the US

What’s next for physical AI in the US

First there was image classification, then generative AI models like ChatGPT, followed by agentic AI systems that can operate with limited human involvement. Rev Lebaredian, Nvidia’s vice president of physical AI simulation, predicts the era of physical AI systems is next.

© AP Photo/John Locher

“This is the bridge between computers and the physical world,” Lebaredian said during a fireside chat at the AI Expo in Washington earlier this month. 

Later sitting down with The Hill, Lebaredian explained how the AI industry is tackling the future development of physical AI, referring to autonomous machines used to perceive, understand and perform complex actions in the real world. 

Many may picture robots or even self-driving vehicles, but Lebaredian emphasized “physical AI” also refers to often unnoticed things like light sensors, or larger breakthroughs in medical devices or  AI-powered drones.

Here are some of the highlights (note the conversation was condensed for clarity) :

How could physical AI benefit society the most? 

“If we can build this machine that can do a lot of the things than only humans could do and we can produce any number of these machines we like, essentially what we’ve created is a [gross domestic product] generator,” Lebaredian said, “Every time we introduce a new technology, we take the humans we have and we amplify them by giving them a tool, so giving them a shovel instead of digging.”

Looking at GDPs across the world, Lebaredian said “there’s a strong correlation between the number of people you have and how much output you have in the country.”

Physical AI has shown the most promise for the manufacturing industry, which has faced record workforce shortages in the U.S. in recent years. As of last August, there were about 409,000 unfilled positions in manufacturing, while any future growth could be limited if workforce challenges aren’t addressed, Deloitte projected. 

The shortages come as the Trump administration pushes to reshore manufacturing back to the U.S. Lebaredian says physical AI and robotics can address the “bottlenecks in the actual construction, building [and] manufacturing.” 

It sounds like physical AI could fill some gaps, but what about the fears that “robots could take my job?”

“The only way that........

© The Hill