by Nicholas Mitsakos | Artificial Intelligence, Book Chapter, Globalization, Innovation, Physical Intelligence, software, Writing and Podcasts
Software Is the central nervous system of the global economy and its demise is greatly exaggerated. There’s a growing narrative thatsoftware is becoming commoditized. Large language models write code. Autonomous agents assemble applications. The barriers to building digital products appear to be collapsing. If software can be generated instantly, then software itself must be losing value.
This conclusion fundamentally misunderstands how technological disruptions develop and expand. Software is becoming the infrastructure layer of modern civilization. The economic, industrial, and geopolitical systems being constructed over the next three decades will not run on software. They will run as software.
by Nicholas Mitsakos | Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, Physical Intelligence, Robotics, Transformative businesses, Writing and Podcasts
The wheel was a great invention. But not until it was combined with other wheels to create a usable cart was it an innovation. The wheel was a breakthrough; a moving, stable cart was a system. Systems create intelligent, scalable, and disruptive technology. Innovations are not new technologies. Breakthroughs are necessary, but it’s systems that are the solution. The value created by AI in the physical world is not scaling software. It is focus, discipline, and constraint within effective systems. The systems that endure will not be those that promise universality, but those that dominate specific economic niches, involve humans strategically, and survive year ten of operation.
by Nicholas Mitsakos | Artificial Intelligence, Book Chapter, Innovation, Physical Intelligence, Technology, Transformative businesses, Writing and Podcasts
Robotics and related technology are ready for deployment, but the industry hasn’t crossed the threshold into full-scale production. Computational breakthroughs in stunning demonstrations are attention-grabbing, but the realities of industry quickly take over. There is a gap between robotics and artificial intelligence (“physical intelligence”) as it transitions from potential to hardware delivery in a demanding industrial setting. Physical AI and its integration into robotics may become one of the largest markets in history. But it is an industrial problem whose solution is not on a software timeline. In other words, its commercial deployment requires much more systems integration and real-world constraints than a software slide deck contemplates.