More than half of companies globally already use physical AI in some form, and that figure will grow to 80% in the coming years, Deloitte said in its State of AI in the Enterprise study, published last month. Uses include robots, drones, inspection devices, intelligent security cameras, forklifts, and other industrial applications.
“Physical AI use cases…in controlled domains such as factories and warehouses tend to progress much faster than use cases in open, real-world environments, where the challenges and risks are far greater,” Deloitte said in its study.
Physical AI discussions have been more focused on actual pilots and outcomes rather than “Jetsons-like” futuristic robots, said Francisco Martin-Rayo, CEO of Helios AI, who tracked conversations about the technology at WEF in Davos. “The emphasis has been on deployment in constrained environments: logistics, agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, where labor shortages and efficiency gains are very real problems today,” Martin-Rayo said.
