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Big Ideas 2026: Physical AI and the Industrial Stack

Overview

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Big Ideas 2026: Physical AI and the Industrial Stack

The a16z Show

2025/12/25
The a16z Show

The a16z Show

2025/12/25
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

AI is moving into the physical economy. In this episode of Big Ideas 2026, we explore what changes when AI leaves the screen and becomes part of factories, construction sites, supply chains, and critical infrastructure. When the product is physical, relia...

Highlights

As artificial intelligence evolves beyond digital interfaces, its integration into physical systems is reshaping how industries operate—from manufacturing floors to supply chains. This shift marks a pivotal moment where software intelligence meets real-world constraints, demanding new architectures, data strategies, and industrial mindsets to drive scalable innovation.
03:03
Factory-first principles can systematize complex industries using AI
06:08
Scaling physical AI is an ecosystem problem requiring real-time understanding of the real world
12:02
Winning in physical observability means becoming the perception layer others rely on
14:45
In 2026, the bottleneck for AI will shift from compute to data.
17:34
Data is the bottleneck in advancing physical AI systems

Chapters

Can America Rebuild Its Industrial Backbone with AI?
00:00
What It Takes to Win the Electro-Industrial Race
06:08
How Do Machines Learn to See and Understand the Physical World?
08:58
Why Data—Not Processing Power—Will Decide the AI Arms Race
14:45
What Does Winning at Physical AI Actually Look Like in 2026?
17:34

Transcript

Zabie Elmgren: This shift carries genuine risks. The same tools that can detect wildfires or prevent job site accidents could actually enable dystopian nightmares as well. Ryan McEntush: The way that software will affect the physical world is through thes...