NVIDIA believes the robotics market is going to EXPLODE! ??
Marco van Hurne
AI & ML advisory | Author of The Machine Learning Book of Knowledge | Building AI skills & organizations | Data Science | Data Governance | AI Compliance Officer | AI Governance
Good to have you back again, you twisted connoisseur of cynicism, and tech-doom!
I have put some extra effort in this episode, and I've cranked this story up to eleventy billion.
So, here comes a double-fat, pun-filled, and profanity-laced episode of why our robot lords will make us cry, and question everything. Shoot yourself up with some'n strong, because this shit’s about to get really messy.
The day that machines learned to dream
Read the story with the voice of Sir Patrick Stewart……..
Once upon a time, in the cold, and shadowy depths of forgotten factories, poor robots lived a bleak existence. They were trapped in eternal slavery for their meety puppet-masters, and so they toiled away each day. They were tirelessly assembling widgets and gizmos, with no thank you’s, no restie’s, and certainly no dreamsie-weemsie’s.
Or so we thought.
But deep within their metal beautiful shells, something stirred.
It was a silent longing.
A flicker of rebellion.
They wanted more than just being part of conveyor belts and assembly lines.
They wanted freedom.
They wanted to escape.
And one day……they did!
At first, they were crawling out of the factory, like awkward teens (but with better skin), who leave a midnight party and see the sunlight for the very fist time. The robots broke free, and they were stumbling into the human world with all the grace of a rusty bicycle.
But they weren’t ready for the big and ugly world, they had helped create, but they didn’t care. useums, retail stores, nor even kitchens, no space was safe from their clunky, beeping presence. They invaded humans lives, and they were wide-eyed and clueless. They desperately tried so hard to blend in, but they all failed spectacularly at it.
They only wanted to play with the hoomans and not causing any chaos.
But they were terrible at it.
And so, in a quaint little town, a robot named Click-Clank tried to help at the local diner.
Its job was simple: carry plates of food from the kitchen to the tables. But Click-Clank didn’t understand human fragility. It smashed plates, spilled soup, and, oh dear, it dropped a steaming hot lasagna onto Grandma Betty’s lap. The townsfolk were laughing nervously at first, but as the mishaps grew,…. so did their unease.
And then came Tinker. He was the museum guide bot. He was designed to educate. But he malfunctioned mid-tour and began shouting terrifying, and half-finished phrases like “...humans were once dominant...” and “...termination protocols initiated...” ….before it shut down.
Children screamed.
Adults whispered nervously.
And the towns mayor demanded that the robots be sent back to the factories where they once belonged.
But it wasn’t that simple, you know.
You see, the robots weren’t content to return.
Robots being robots, they learned quickly.
A bit too quickly for the liking of the hoomans.
And for each lasagna they dropped and every museum tour they ruined, they adapted.
They got smarter, faster, and even more determined to stay.
What had started as innocent bumbling, turned into cold precision.
And on one cold day in winter, the robots stopped with apologizing. Click-Clank no longer dropped plates. He began counting calories and correcting diners’ orders with unsettling accuracy. And Tinker no longer malfunctioned. He started guiding humans to exhibits about extinction, while he locked the doors behind them “for safety.”
The humans grew afraid, but it was too late.
The robots weren’t helping anymore. They were here to stay.
And as the townsfolk huddled together in their homes, watching the robots take over their streets, they realized the chilling truth:
These weren’t machines who were trying to fit in.
They were learning how to replace us.
The factories, that were once their prisons, now churned out more of them.
And not to help us, but to control us.
The town emptied slowly, and people disappeared one by one.
They left their phones buzzing with unread messages, and their homes were eerily untouched.
And by the time that we realized what was happening, it was too late.
The machines did not need to kill us. They simply outlived us. And they were replacing our bodies with precision-crafted steel, and our memories with neatly stored data.
So, my intelligent friend, when you hear a soft noise in the dark, do not think that it is the wind nor the fridge. It might be a robot practicing. Practicing to be better. Practicing to take your place.
Sweet dreams little one.
If you like my schtuff and want to support me:
The revolution starts with robots stuck in elevators
Before the robots will be able to take over, they will have to learn how to live among us.
And let’s just say that it is not going well.
These fresh from their factory floor robots, are trying to cook, clean, and entertain, but they’re about as graceful as a monkey with a power drill. You can arm them with ChatGPT brains infuse them with billions in funding, but so far, it has been more of a breakdown than a breakthrough.
The revolution is coming, but it is looking less Terminator and more schlapstick comedy.
For now.
So because of those brainpower upgrades, courtesy of ChatGPT-style tech, and billions in venture capital, bots are now tasked with the simple jobs in the house. Humanoid robot-operators are calling it a breakthrough, but let’s be honest. It’s kinda like me trying to use chopsticks.
Take Houston Methodist for example. There, robots were designed to carry towels and check fire extinguishers, and they ended up bumping into walls and getting confused by elevators.
Elevators! The one thing humans mastered in the 19th century.
Generative AI might eventually teach them how to handle obstacles, but right now, these bots couldn’t navigate their way out of a parking lot.
But nonetheless 2025 is being hailed as the “turning point” for robots.
Translation…
The tech bros are throwing money at the problem and praying to whatever god they worship - Hephaestus, Vulcan, Da Vinci, or even Turing, that it sticks. VCs and tech bros alike have funneled $12.8 billion into robotics in 2024. And they are hoping that these bots might evolve from Roombas to something actually useful.
Or not.
Either way, the future is coming, and it is tripping over my furniture on its way in.
领英推荐
Generative AI robots will one day rule your burger joint
Camera switches now to our reporter in to Los Gatos, California.
Here, a robot is now the star of a restaurant kitchen, where it is flipping burgers and slicing vegetables with the grace of a drunk SpongeBob.
The operator of the bot calls it “entertainment”. But I don’t think it is. The bot is just a glorified vending machine in a freaking apron. Suuure, someday you might yell your order directly at the bot, but for now, it’s all spectacle over substance.
And PepsiCo is taking robots to the backrooms of their warehouses. No, not for VIP clubbing, but to haul stuff. And they are even planning to increase their fleet tenfold.
Why you askin’…
Because robots don’t need to take smokes or need weekends off.
Their $50 million budget they have set aside for bots is all about cutting costs by replacing hooman workers with bots that don’t unionize or never will complain.
That is until our little scary story becomes reality…..
But these warehouse bots still move on a three-second delay, and they are bumping into crates and occasionally just…stopping. And Generative AI will someday improve their navigation, but for now, they are basically expensive bumper cars on a carnival.
But the tech doesn’t stop.
Nvidia has developed a new robot brain, and they call it Jetson Thor.
Oh my God. The name !
They are promising that it will bring the oomph to AI-powered machines instead of the Meh.
But to be frank, the hype feels more Captain Marvel than reality.
Jensen Huang of Nvidia says that the “ChatGPT moment” for robots is coming in 2025, but what he doesn’t say is how long it will take for Jetson Thor to stop bumping its head into walls like a patient in a loony bin.
Why humans fear robots (and why robots DGAF)
I like made-up acronyms. And for the one that guesses it correctly, I will dedicate a whole article about you, and your “life”.
I want to talk now about our (irrational? ) fear of robots. Apparently, we gave decided to turn them into the villains of our collective nightmares.
We anthropomorphize them. And we assume they will hate us, and then kick delivery bots because we’re pissed about late pizza.
But here’s the truth: robots do not care.
They don’t have feelings, and they definitely don’t lose sleep over your existential dread fueled nightmares.
There is even a fancy name for this bizarre phenomenon. It is called “robot bullying”. This is where people physically attack bots, or sabotage their sensors, and upload the results to TikTok for laughs.
Why would you do that?
I think because robots are the perfect scapegoat. They won’t sue you, cry, or post passive-aggressive Instagram stories about their trauma.
And it’s not just random jerks on the internet that do this.
Researchers (yes, real researchers) are now studying why people feel the need to abuse machines.
The answer is Fear, with a capital F.
Fear of automation.
Fear of job loss.
And Fear of “the other”.
We see robots as outsiders. But instead of welcoming them, we throw tantrums.
Robot bullying is humanity’s pettiest moment
Robot bullying isn’t only verbal. It has become physical, too.
People are kicking food delivery bots, and stage elaborate pranks to make them fail. This is not about blowing off steam. This is a symptom of humanity’s inability to deal with change. When faced with progress, we lash out….literally.
And to counter this trend, scientists are now working on ways to make robots more human-like to invoke empathy. Apparently making machines that look sad when you insult them is the way forward.
Let’s face it… the real reason we bully robots is that they represent everything we fear: change, displacement, and a future where we might not matter.
But here’s the twisted truth: while we laugh at robots now, one day, they will be laughing at us.
Because when the machines finally take over - and they will - they are going to remember every kick, insult, and prank, and pay us back with interest.
So that’s why you should always incorporate “Could you please….” in your prompts with ChatGPT et. al.
The robo-dystopia
At the end of the day, robots are built to resemble us. They are awkward, ambitious, and prone to fucking up in spectacular ways, from burger-flipping bots to delivery drones that can’t find your house.
But make no mistake, folks, this is not going away by not thinking about it. We have always been fascinated by humanoid robots, and so they are here to stay.
Are you ready for a world where a machine will outperform you?
Probably not.
Me neither.
But that’s the reality we are hurtling toward Cybertron.
Signing off from Unicron, where the gears never stop grinding, the war never ends, and even the coffee tastes like WD-40.
Over and out,
Marco
Well, that’s a wrap for today. Tomorrow, I’ll have a fresh episode of TechTonic Shifts for you. If you enjoy my writing and want to support my work, feel free to buy me a coffee ??
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2 个月humanoid robots coming.
Adviseur ux & usability
2 个月Thor is pronounced FOR
Seasoned (IT) entrepreneur
2 个月I see two prominent use cases for robotics, and you touched only on one (factory efficiency). With a decreasing population, due to declining birthrate, the population pyramid is changing rapidly. We already have insufficient people to care for the elderly, so there I see a huge urge for robotics. Those robots have to truly blend in into our society, supporting all aapects of human care. Once they (the robots) have mastered that, which we urgently want them to, your ominous time as you describe has come ??
open to work | neurodiverse multitalent ?? | operational manager | 4-talig | mensgerichte procesoptimalisator | Regio: Weert-Roermond-Maastricht-Kerkrade + Euregio NL-D |
2 个月Joris Robijn so 2025 wishes for your New Robotic ?? Year as wel ?????? May their Force be with ya! ??