Computerworld.com reported that “The tech bigwigs and economists at the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos were clear-eyed about how AI is reshuffling the jobs landscape globally and disrupting national economies.” The February 4, 2026 article entitled “Amid AI gloom and doom, WEF attendees were bullish on physical AI” (https://www.computerworld.com/article/4127224/amid-ai-gloom-and-doom-wef-attendees-were-bullish-on-physical-ai.html) included these comments:
But the chatter around physical AI and robotics was more upbeat, with attendees saying robots with brains and intelligent sensors are likely to improve human productivity and manufacturing output.
That, in turn, should improve economies — and in the long run create more jobs.
Physical AI refers to the concept of AI manifesting in physical form, most notably as robots, though others foresee broader real-world outcomes, such as AI cameras that reduce crime or AI-driven sensors that bolster industrial output.
“You can now fuse your industrial capability, your manufacturing capability with artificial intelligence and that brings you into the world of physical AI or robotics,” said Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, during a fireside chat at WEF.
If anything, AI — including agentic AI and robotic automation — is more likely to change the nature of what humans do than take jobs away, he said. Robots can do menial work such as typical administrative tasks, allowing humans to be more productive, Huang said. “We’re five million nurses short…. AI is increasing their productivity…. [And when], hospitals do better, they hire more nurses.”
Robots have the capacity to work non-stop, without tiring, yielding productivity gains that will increase the average output of economies, said tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. “My prediction is…we’ll make so many robots and AI that they will saturate all human needs,” the Tesla CEO said during a WEF discussion.
Interesting, what do you think?
First published at https://www.vogelitlaw.com/blog/ai-was-a-big-topic-at-the-world-economic-forum-wef-in-davos