Rodney BrooksEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

When I want an automation reality check, I go to Rodney Brooks, one of the past century’s most influential roboticists. The Robust.AI CTO cofounded iRobot and Rethink Robotics after spending a quarter-century teaching the subject at MIT. His annual scorecard is an important progress report for AI and automation hype cycles. In this episode, we talk about humanoid robots, AI hype, and the future of automation. We’d love to hear from you! Have thoughts or guest suggestions? Reach us at podcast@automate.org . You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automate.org/podcast. Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today and leave a review on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter: https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup You can also find us on: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rodney Brooks is a pioneer in the world of robotics, AI, and innovation. Best known as the co-founder of iRobot, the company behind the Roomba vacuum cleaner, Rodney has spent decades shaping how we interact with intelligent machines. From using robots to assist in Fukushima's cleanup to designing technology that prioritizes human agency, Rodney has consistently championed practical, human-centric innovation. On this episode of Mind the Machine, Cheryl and Rodney discuss: 00:00 - Introduction and Sponsorship 01:31 - Introduction to Rodney 02:12 - Rodney's Most Proud Accomplishment 03:52 - The Promise of Robotics 04:32 - Misunderstandings About Robotics and AI 06:15 - Tele-Operated Robots and Misleading Perceptions 08:37 - Designing Robots for Human Interaction 10:55 - The Importance of Human Agency in Robotics 13:15 - Singularity and Techno-Religion 15:36 - Technology as "Magic" 18:00 - Large Language Models and Utility 20:26 - Robotics and Elder Care 22:48 - Emotional Robotics and Aibo 25:09 - Opportunities in Robotics for Innovators 27:01 - Robots in Warehouses: A Practical Approach 29:22 - Limits of Exponential Scaling in AI 31:41 - Confabulation vs. Hallucination in AI 33:20 - Lessons from Watson and AI Overpromises 35:22 - AI as a Developer Tool 37:36 - Creativity, Copyright, and AI Disruption 39:58 - Tools and Artistic Expression 42:25 - Risks in Infrastructure and Supply Chains 44:44 - "The World is Its Own Best Model" 47:06 - Robotics for Warehouse Fulfillment 49:35 - The Evolution of User Interfaces 52:01 - Design Principles for Robotics 54:22 - The Importance of Accurate Predictions 56:40 - EVs and Infrastructure Challenges 58:55 - The Role of Infrastructure in Innovation 01:01:13 - Closing Thoughts on Technological Progress 01:02:12 - Thank You and Wrap-Up Where to find Rodney Brooks: • Website: RodneyBrooks.com • LinkedIn: Rodney Brooks • X (formerly Twitter): Rodney Brooks Brought to you by: AskTuring.ai Production and marketing by Modry Media For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email info@modry.us

Rodney Brooks has spent his entire life at the intersection of robotics, computers, and AI. When the Roomba vacuum cleaner launched in 2002, his company, iRobot, brought all three into millions of people’s homes. iRobot had already succeeded with robots for space exploration, mine detection, search missions, and military applications. However, after the Roomba came out, it went public with a valuation of $600 million. By then, Rodney had been working on AI and robots for decades alongside the original creators of AI at Stanford and MIT. On today’s episode, we discuss: The hype around machine learning and what’s next Bootstrapping a startup versus taking funding The advantages of being ambitious The relationship between luck, risk, and success Building robots that work with people rather than against them How to build a trustworthy company How he predicts what technology is on the rise His advice to today’s builders And much more — Brought to you by: Vanta – Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trust—continuously. ⁠Get $1,000 off⁠ . Runway – The finance platform you don’t hate. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Learn more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. — Where to find Rodney Brooks: • Website: https://people.csail.mit.edu/brooks/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-brooks-1a137517 • Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rodneyabrooks.bsky.social • X: https://x.com/rodneyabrooks Where to find Eric: • Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ericries.carrd.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ericriesshow.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theericriesshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — In This Episode We Cover: (00:00) Welcome to the Eric Ries Show (03:00) Taking iRobot public (04:33) The change in company culture from private to public (06:14) Rodney’s upbringing in Australia and early experiments with computers, robots, and mathematics (7:19) The era of the computer operator (9:37) Rodney’s arrival at Stanford in 1977 and move to MIT, at the dawn of AI (11:05) His relationships with the creators of AI (12:15) What innovators of AI and general intelligence thought they were creating at the time (13:17) Rodney’s first AI startup, Lucid (14:52) What Rodney learned about building startups from the experience (18:31) Starting Light Robot, the space exploration company that eventually became iRobot (21:29) The fourteen business models on the road to success, including toys (26:03) The pivot to vacuums (29:04) Learning about the minutiae of mass production (34:43) Rodney’s thoughts on the relationship

Rodney Brooks talks about the dangers of squandering intelligence and the importance of conserving resources.

Rodney Brooks discusses the challenges and opportunities of smallholder agriculture in the face of climate change.

Rodney Brooks discusses his work on thinking machines, artificial intelligence, and theMontague Hotel genie.

Rodney Brooks joins Lexman for a storytelling drinking game themed episode about his life in the tech industry. They talk about the times they had too much to drink, their favorite Parkland moment, and Rodney's recent trip to Hajj.

The legacy you leave for tomorrow depends on the choices you make today, especially if your goal is to build wealth for future generations. Rodney A. Brooks joins us to underscore the importance of more Black families focusing on retirement savings, insurance, investing and estate planning—beginning with our children—as keys to closing America’s racial wealth gap.

Rodney Brooks is a roboticist, former head of CSAIL at MIT, and co-founder of iRobot, Rethink Robotics, and Robust.AI. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Paperspace : https://gradient.run/lex to get $15 credit – GiveDirectly : https://givedirectly.org/lex to get gift matched up to $300 – BiOptimizers : http://www.magbreakthrough.com/lex to get 10% off – Four Sigmatic : https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off – SimpliSafe : https://simplisafe.com/lex and use code LEX to get a free security camera EPISODE LINKS: Rodney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/rodneyabrooks Rodney’s Blog: http://rodneybrooks.com/blog/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (07:33) – First robots (28:58) – Brains and computers (1:01:47) – Self-driving cars (1:21:57) – Believing in the impossible (1:32:47) – Predictions (1:43:49) – iRobot (2:11:11) – Sharing an office with AI experts (2:23:21) – Advice for young people (2:27:07) – Meaning of life

Host Julia Yoo sits down with Rodney Brooks (cofounder of iRobot) and Gary Marcus (founder of Geometric Intelligence) who teamed up to cofound Robust AI. Tune in to hear Brooks and Marcus about their entrepreneurship experiences and their take on the field of AI -- including the good, the bad and the ugly. Theme music Title: Daydream Bliss Artist: SYBS

RODNEY BROOKS is Panasonic Professor of Robotics, emeritus, MIT; former director of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL); founder, chairman, and CTO of Rethink Robotics; and author of Flesh and Machines . The Conversation: https://www.edge.org/conversation/rodney_a_brooks-the-cul-de-sac-of-the-computational-metaphor

Rodney Brooks, emeritus professor of robotics at MIT, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the future of robots and artificial intelligence. Brooks argues that we both under-appreciate and over-appreciate the impact of innovation. He applies this insight to the current state of driverless cars and other changes people are expecting to change our daily lives in radical ways. He also suggests that the challenges of developing truly intelligent robots and technologies will take much longer than people expect, giving human beings time to adapt to the effects. Plus a cameo from Isaac Newton.

If you could talk to some folks who attended the 1964 World’s Fair, they might be a little disgruntled. After all, they were promised jetpacks, flying cars, and vacations to Mars in the near future. Alas, we have none of those things, and yet we still expect transformative technologies like self-driving cars to be part of our lives soon. This week, we talk with robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks about the art of predicting when new technology will go mainstream.

We start today’s installment with the very cliffhanger sentence yesterday’s installment ended with: Rodney saying “Yeah, let’s talk about deep learning.” This leads to an argument similar to yesterday’s point about self-driving cars, which takes us to super AI risk, which Rodney believes is quiet overblown. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We start with the new robotic era that dawned when Rethink Robotics launched its Baxter robot. Baxter and its successor, Sawyer, shifted the industry. We then consider the ancient legacy equipment and standards that still plague so much factory automation. Next, we dive into society’s urgent need for robots to assist with elder care in the coming years. We close with Rodney’s fascinating take on how a poor understanding of a technology’s history distorts perspectives on its near-future prospects. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Today’s segment introduces guest Rodney Brooke and includes a discussion of the rigid segregation between human workers and robots that reigned in almost all factories until recently. Brooks started his latest company to disrupt this status quo. Its roots lie in safety concerns, and the troubles that befall legacy robots in the presence of chaotic, imprecise humans. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Episode summary: In this week's episode of AI in Industry we speak with Rodney Brooks, Founder and CTO of Rethink Robotics, a collaborative robot manufacturers founded in Boston in 2008. Rodney explores robotic safety an regulations and he also paints a picture of what robots might be capable of in the next five years. Executives in the logistics and manufacturing sectors considering adopting robots will find Rodney's insights most valuable. Rodney explores what applications will move into the realm of robotics and what application won't in the near future and delves into what business executives need to know about human robot collaboration before considering their adoption. Interested readers can see the full interview with Rodney Brooks from Rethink Robotics here: https://www.techemergence.com/ improving-robot-safety-capability-artificial-intelligence-rodney-brooks /

Rodney Brooks is a founding luminary of TWO vital domains in tech: robotics and AI. He's the father of the Roomba, the long-time head of MIT's AI lab, and a serial entrepreneur. Few can rival his breadth & depth in technology.

If you could talk to some folks who attended the 1964 World’s Fair, they might be a little disgruntled. After all, they were promised jet packs, flying cars , and vacations to Mars in the near future. Alas, we have none of those things, and yet we still expect transformative technologies like self-driving cars to be part of our lives soon. This week, we talk with robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks about the art of predicting when new technology will go mainstream.

Rodney Brooks article: The Seven Deadly Sins of Predicting the Future of AI

If you own a Roomba, you can thank Rod, because he’s the co-founder of iRobot. He launched the company almost three decades ago when he was a professor at MIT. Well, today, he's at it again. He’s trying to disrupt the world of industrial robotics with his new startup, Rethink Robotics. While I was in Boston a few weeks ago, I visited him at his home in Cambridge and captured some great stories. His extensive experiences over his career inspired the new company. We hear about the pending workforce shortage (yes, really!) and why location matters with manufacturing, whether it’s China, America, or anywhere else. It’s possible that the influence of the Prague Spring on his college math classes in Australia might have been the key influence in his research years later. He warns us about the hype of artificial intelligence and the potential of collaborative robotics. I’m surprised to hear how difficult it has been for his company to get their robots onto the factory floor given the obvious ROI. He shares humbling lessons about finding product market fit, which he learned the hard way across all three of his startups, and the lessons he takes away. But thanks in large part to his evangelism, the conversation around industrial robotics is changing. Might his ideas help save the manufacturing industry? The views expressed on The Art of Manufacturing podcast are those of the guests, and not our sponsors or partners. For more information, photos, and links, check out the show notes at http://makeitinla.org/rodneybrooks .

Transcript below. In this episode, we celebrate our 200th episode! That’s over 6000 minutes of robot goodness and nearly 8 years releasing interviews with your favorite roboticists. The podcast is all volunteer run, a special thanks to everyone on the team who’s made this possible! And thanks to all of you for listening in all these years. To celebrate, our president Audrow Nash has invited a team of old-timers from the podcast team, and one of our favorite recurring guests, Rodney Brooks from Rethink Robotics.

Dr. Rodney Brooks is the co-founder of Rethink Robotics, a company that makes robots for the manufacturing industry. Rethink’s first robot, Baxter, was introduced in October 2012 with the goal of increasing US manufacturing productivity. Prior to Rethink, Dr. Brooks co-founded iRobot, which makes robots for the consumer and defense industries. iRobot’s first consumer product was the Roomba, a vacuum robot, introduced in 2002. Dr. Brooks is professor emeritus at MIT, where he was on the faculty from 1984 to 2010. Listen to the interview