If the robot revolution is to happen — and many appear convinced it will — the automotive industry is likely to be front and center in the movement. Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, many in and around the sphere of robotics paint a picture in which automated and even human-like machines take over many routine jobs in the future, relieving people of mundane or physically challenging work while helping consumers handle everyday tasks around the house. Driving the market’s interest in robotics, said Alex Panas, senior partner and global leader of industry sectors for consultants McKinsey & Co., is a shrinking workforce and a Chinese industrial complex that is setting the pace when it comes to factory automation. He pointed to forecasts that the U.S. will suffer a shortage of 1.9 million factory workers by 2033 and current data indicating a 40% turnover rate for warehouse employees as the impetus for accelerated robotics adoption. Factories in China are out-automating their U.S. counterparts by a factor of 10, he said, suggesting America’s ability to compete globally could be at risk if it doesn’t step up the pace. “Automation is back on the CEO agenda,” Panas said in kicking off a panel discussion in January at CES 2026 in Las Vegas on “Physical AI” — the migration of artificial intelligence from the digital space into the physical world. Companies are no longer treating automation simply as a capital purchase within an operations context, he said, but as something that could trigger transformational capabilities for their organizations. “The imperative is there; the excitement is there,” Panas said. “And we’re seeing a significant number of enterprises move in that direction. The amount of mentions about [industrial] robotics and automations in public filings has more than doubled in the last 18 months.” ABI Research