‘Physical AI’ Is Coming for Your Car

The systems powering the autonomous features in the Afeela 1 and Afeela prototype, both announced at CES, are the embodiment of “physical AI.”Courtesy of Sony Honda Mobility

Physical AI sounds like a contradiction in terms. A computer, but a body?

But for the marketing architects, it’s the latest term of art, a buzzword meant to point us citizens toward a bright and promising technological future.

Back here on earth, the term is maybe most useful as a way to understand how automotive companies are thinking about themselves right now: as tech pioneers. It’s also a handy shortcut to understanding how appetizing the automotive industry is for the companies that make chips—what could be a $123 billion opportunity by ...