Live podcast recording; Babbage, The Economist

AI and Robotics: Powering the Next Era of Human-Machine Collaboration at Web Summit Lisbon 2025

At Web Summit Lisbon 2025, Mr. Alok Jha, Science and Technology editor at The Economist, hosted a Babbage podcast session on robotics and AI. He welcomed Mr. Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, and Mr. Tye Brady, Chief Technologist at Amazon Robotics, to discuss how these technologies are shaping our world and redefining human-machine collaboration.

Mr. Playter showcased a video of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot using end-to-end AI to move parts. The robot demonstrated remarkable agility and resilience, responding to unexpected disturbances like a hockey stick moving a bin. This highlights the shift from traditional robots needing perfect conditions to those adapting to dynamic environments. Atlas’s autonomy is achieved through training via tele-operation demonstrations and collected data.

Mr. Brady emphasized Amazon Robotics’ human-centric philosophy, aiming to eliminate menial tasks. With over a million robots deployed, Amazon focuses on augmenting human potential, not replacing it. He noted AI’s transformative impact, accelerating development and democratizing access to robotics, making it possible for more players to innovate in the field.

Amazon’s Blue Jay, an advanced picking machine, exemplifies this by streamlining warehouse operations. It combines three assembly lines, reducing monotonous tasks and allowing employees to focus on higher-value work. This “goods-to-person” system brings items to people, significantly cutting down walking distances and increasing inventory storage by 40% compared to traditional methods.

Mr. Playter introduced Stretch, a logistics robot designed to automate the heavy, repetitive task of unloading shipping containers and moving 50-pound boxes. This robot is ideal for existing “brownfield” warehouses, where it can work alongside humans, transforming manual laborers into robot operators. Stretch integrates battery, vacuum, vision, and AI for complex decision-making, like stable pallet building.

Both leaders highlighted AI’s critical role. Mr. Playter explained that Atlas’s training combines large language models with robot-specific data from cameras and joint movements, collected through simulation and tele-operation. Mr. Brady outlined generative AI’s applications: conversational, creative (e.g., optimizing warehouse layouts), and operational (e.g., Amazon’s “Deep Fleet” improving robot movement algorithms by 10%).

Looking ahead 10 years, Mr. Playter envisions mass-produced, affordable robots, driven by Hyundai’s backing, expanding into consumer and service industries, eventually reaching homes. Mr. Brady compared the current state of robotics to the 1950s era of computers, predicting a similar foundational transformation where physical AI systems will augment human capabilities and foster greater connection.