Why robotics has not had its ChatGPT moment yet

Robotics is still in what Amulya Vishwanath calls its “Lego era,” with core building blocks being rebuilt before the field can reach a ChatGPT moment.

Vishwanath spent seven years leading product marketing for NVIDIA’s robotics platforms. She says work remains on components including actuators, robotic hands, software and safety standards. Her view differs from the argument that a general foundation model could make much of today’s specialized robotics work redundant and propel the field to a breakthrough comparable to ChatGPT’s launch in late 2022.

Vishwanath discussed the state of robotics on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast with Dominic-Madori Davis. The conversation also covered her work as founder and managing partner of Techable VC, an early-stage firm investing in physical AI across robotics, materials science and life sciences.

The interview frames robotics as a field whose underlying components and standards are still developing, rather than one already on the verge of a single model-driven leap.