Frontier Technologies in Industrial Operations 2025

The effect of virtual and embodied agents on industrial operations will be a tectonic shift, recasting how AI agent systems are built and function. However, as the futurist Paul Saffo noted, ‘Never mistake a clear view for a short distance’. We are still in the infancy stage of understanding these agents’ potential. Generative AI is not intelligence in a box – it doesn’t truly reason and can’t solve complex optimization problems alone. To safely deploy robots in dynamic, human-inhabited environments, combining large language models, vision language action models and other AI modalities along with engineering is essential, ensuring proper guardrails are in place for reliable, effective solutions. Anthony Jules, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Robust.AI Manufacturing companies are beginning to integrate virtual and embodied AI agents into their operations, as showcased by the pilots discussed above. Although AI agents are still in the early stages of development and require further refinement for large-scale deployment, it is essential for industry leaders to consider the foundational elements necessary for supporting their successful implementation and integration into existing systems.Benefits and examples of the different robot types enabled by embodied AI (continued) TABLE 3 Robot type Benefits Example Context-based robotics –General understanding and task execution: Robots harness their general understanding of the world to autonomously generate any action and perform any task according to the situation. They can reason, plan and act based on the instructions received and the environment. Additionally, they can receive natural language instructions from technicians – for example, when asking for validation on how to grasp a particular object. This significantly improves finetuning in the factory and reduces the required skillset. –Human-like dexterity and low-level control: The models enable intuitive movements (for example, opening an object) and fast low-level control, adapting to any situation. They are expected to be able to handle flexible parts, such as cables, and cope with complex physics, such as moving liquid in a closed container. –Universal robotic embodiment: General RFM can embody any robot form, including humanoids, articulated robots or mobile robots, allowing for universal use of the models. The development of RFMs will be a breakthrough in robotic capabilities, especially for humanoid robotics. This is due to the large amount of human data that already exists to facilitate training of the human form factor. Additionally, because the world is built for humans, these robots will have a huge array of potential applications beyond operations.Humanoid robots are a prominent example of context- based robotics, which has emerged in recent years. BMW is piloting the use of humanoid robots for assembly preparation in its Spartanburg plant.13 The human form factor brings multiple benefits that can also be applied to operations, such as in the reuse of existing workstations. The future of humanoids in operations remains uncertain, however, as their human shape drives significant complexity that is not needed on a factory shop floor, such as bi-pedal locomotion instead of wheels. Even so, the underlying RFM will bring a breakthrough in operations, as it can embody any robotic systems, regardless of form. Frontier Technologies in Industrial Operations 17