The Era of Physical AI Continues to Emerge

Martyn Briggs, Director, Thematic Investing Strategy, Bank of America joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss why Physical AI is no longer a concept on the horizon but an era that continues to emerge across humanoids, autonomous vehicles, drones, and industrial robotics.

AI has left the chat, and is moving from digital text-based intelligence to the physical world. Last year, 20,000 humanoids were manufactured, 80 percent of which were in China. The market for humanoids is projected to grow exponentially to 1.2 million by 2030 and 10 million by 2035, driven by falling component costs, simulation-to-real transfer breakthroughs, and the convergence of generative AI with robotics.

Across the autonomous vehicle landscape, L2+ advanced driver assistance is emerging as the trust gateway to full L4 autonomy. As consumers grow comfortable with supervised automation on highways, the path to trusting robotaxis becomes shorter and shorter. The physical AI opportunity extends well beyond the United States, with Europe and the UK positioned to deploy robotaxis as an economic driver across dense urban corridors.

Episode Chapters

• 0:00 AUTNMY AI
• 00:24 Physical AI Primer
• 07:51 Open Source Physical AI Models
• 12:46 The ChatGPT Moment for Robotics
• 15:56 Scaling Humanoids
• 27:17 Capital Flowing to Embodied AI
• 29:28 Fleet Infrastructure, Real Estate & Charging
• 31:43 OEM Struggles, Consumer Demand for L4
• 42:08 Waymo in London & Europe’s Robotaxi Opportunity
• 49:16 UAE as a Global Autonomy Market
• 52:14 Autonomous Trucking
• 57:30 Drones and Scaling Physical AI
• 59:53 The Future of Physical AI