KUKA CEO Christoph Schell: Physical AI won't replace deterministic automation — the two coexist
lukas_m_ziegler · x · 2026-10-19
At KUKA's Augsburg HQ, journalist Luca Ambition interviewed CEO Christoph Schell. KUKA has more than 600,000 robots deployed worldwide.
Key takeaways:
- Asked what it takes for a 50-person company to deploy a robot as easily as buying software, Schell said it becomes a platform decision: which platform lets you combine deterministic programming with autonomously programmed systems.
- His view on Physical AI is more conservative than most current narratives: it will not take over the deterministic world; the two coexist.
- KUKA AMP (Automation Management Platform), shown at GTC in March, is built for exactly this, sitting between AI agents and deterministic automation.
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