Zurück aus China: Die unaufhaltsame Skalierung der kognitiven Robotik

The next stage of artificial intelligence is leaving the screen. Fresh from an intensive, eleven-day research trip through China, I'm sharing my deepest impressions of the rapid rise of cognitive robotics. In 2026, we stand at the beginning of a new industrial revolution: the Embodied AI Revolution. It's no longer just about text and pixels in virtual space, but about machines that see, walk, grasp, and continuously learn in the real world. In this installment of Thomsen's Theses, I analyze why future cognitive robotics will significantly surpass the global automotive industry and why the lack of a "world model" is currently the last remaining bottleneck in its development. Thanks to the combination of rapid chip doubling and increasingly efficient models, we are, mathematically speaking, less than three years away from a major mechatronic breakthrough. This presents a gigantic economic opportunity for Europe and Germany. The mechatronics infrastructure is being scaled up in China, but the crucial specialized knowledge for specific use cases—be it in healthcare, logistics, or agriculture—must be programmed and maintained locally. With models like Robotics as a Service, we can solve our acute skills shortage, drastically reduce costs, and establish entirely new business models. We must use these two to three years wisely now, instead of getting lost in China-bashing. My thesis: The future isn't created in theory, but where intelligence becomes tangible. Whoever occupies the use cases now will shape the industry of tomorrow. #thomsensthesen #embodiedAI #robotics #china #economy #research #future #usecases #innovation #automation #technology #skillsshortage