Rethinking Robots
Three keynotes about the technology that is about to leave the screen — and enter the real world.
Humanoid robots are moving from demos and viral clips into factories, workplaces and everyday life. My keynotes explore what that shift means for business, work and society.
Keynotes
Why You Shouldn’t Laugh at China’s Crashing Robots
What the West misses about the race to build the robot economy.
The robots falling over are not the story. China is using competitions, factories and real-world deployments as massive testing grounds — turning visible failure into rapid iteration.
And China is building much more than robots: manufacturers, AI brains, cloud platforms, supply chains and enormous deployment opportunities are forming an integrated ecosystem for an entire robot economy.
The real race is not about who builds the most impressive humanoid. It is about who can make millions of robots useful, affordable and deployable.
- Why crashing robots can actually be a sign of progress
- Why ecosystems may matter more than the smartest individual robot
- What Western companies can learn from China’s approach
Best for · Executive conferences · Leadership events · Political & economic forums · Industry associations · Media events
Discuss this keynoteWhen Robots Become Normal
What happens when intelligent machines become part of everyday life.
For decades, robots belonged in factories and science-fiction movies. Now they are entering taxis, hotels, hospitals, restaurants, warehouses — and eventually our homes.
That raises questions that have surprisingly little to do with technology. Will we trust robots? Will we talk to them like people? Which jobs will we happily hand over to machines?
A visual, entertaining and thought-provoking journey into a future that is arriving much faster than most people realise.
- Where robots are already entering everyday environments
- How humans react when machines become social actors
- Why the future of robotics is ultimately about people, not machines
Best for · Customer events · General business conferences · Corporate events · Associations · Future-focused audiences
Discuss this keynoteWhen Physical Work Becomes Programmable
How robots will change jobs, organisations and the way we work.
Software made information programmable. AI is beginning to make knowledge work programmable. Robotics could now do something similar for the physical world.
The much more interesting question is not replacement, but what happens when companies can combine humans, AI agents and increasingly flexible robots in completely new ways.
The companies that benefit most from robotics may not be those that automate the most jobs — but those that rethink how work should be organised in the first place.
- Which types of physical work are becoming programmable first
- How humans, AI agents and robots may divide work
- Why companies should redesign work rather than simply replace people
Best for · Leadership teams · HR & People conferences · Manufacturing · Logistics · Retail · Hospitality · Physical industries
Discuss this keynoteAbout Björn Ognibeni
Practical Visionary. Digital strategist. China expert.
For more than 20 years, I have helped companies understand how emerging technologies change markets, customers and business models.
I look for where the future is already becoming visible — and translate those developments into strategic questions businesses can act on today.
My work on Digital China provides a unique perspective on how new technologies are tested, deployed and scaled. Robotics is now one of the most fascinating examples.
Contact
Looking for a keynote about the future of robotics?
Tell me about your event and we can quickly find out which keynote fits your audience best.
Or write directly to robots@ognibeni.de