Robots or Physical AI ?

It's amazing how popular Robotics as become a regular topic in mainstream media. It is no longer science fiction. Autonomous cars are roaming the streets in SF and nobody bats an eye. Humanoid robots startups are floating like flies.

I start my undergrad in 2008 and people were referencing the DARPA Challenge 2004 as the state of the art.

One trend I’ve noticed recently is the push toward a new term: physical AI. Robots no longer seem to be the buzzword that excites people—or attracts funding—for tech startups. The terminology has shifted, but I’m not convinced the underlying direction has improved.

This shift makes me question the kinds of startups and technologies we are building today. Increasingly, we are focused on removing humans from the loop rather than enhancing human capability. We are building humanoid systems designed to replace people, yet we invest far less effort into assistive technologies that could meaningfully improve human lives.

Why aren’t we prioritizing AI systems that help a disabled person better sense, plan, and act in the world? Why aren’t we building tools that augment everyday workers—powered arms, wheeled legs, or intelligent exoskeletons—that reduce both cognitive and physical strain? Even relatively simple forms of augmentation could dramatically improve quality of life and productivity.

So the real question is this: why are we so focused on building AI to replace humans, rather than AI designed to assist and empower them?