UBS predicts 2 million humanoid robots in workplaces by 2035, growing to 300 million by 2050. Joining me is Marc Shawn Brown, Founder of MSB Intel. Marc, welcome to Wall Street to Mena.
Thank you so much.
In plain terms, what actually is physical AI and how is it different from the chatbots everyone is using now?
A lot of people still get very confused. The easiest way to think about it is that both use a training base and data. But your ChatGPT, your Claude, your chatbots — they are confined to a browser, to your laptop, to your specific screen. They are a brain inside a jar. Whereas physical AI is when you take that brain and put it inside a body. Instead of predicting the next word or sentence, you can now predict the next action. Where should I step? What should I do next? Is there danger on my side? Those are the two biggest differences.
You call this a gold rush most people are missing. What exactly are they missing?
A lot of people are distracted by how impressive robots are, especially on social media. People love the Chinese robotics, the Olympics, the fighting. All of that seems very impressive. But if you look a little bit deeper, some of the smarter investors are doing a lot more. In Q2 alone, there was $18.6 billion worth of money invested into robotics and physical AI. And going forward, people need to realise that the actual things that make these robots so impressive is the machine underneath them — the actuators, the actual thinking, the training and resistance. That is what people should truly be looking at.
The UAE's national robotics goals target 200,000 robots by 2032. Why is this region positioned to lead physical AI adoption?
The UAE has always been forward thinking and wanted to lead the race. And I think it is very doable for three reasons. You have a labour import economy — the UAE outsources a lot of its labour. So by using physical AI, you can do that work a lot faster. Secondly, you have the sovereign funds — they are forward thinking. And thirdly, you have a country that is very special because on Monday a decision can be made. By Friday it can be implemented. It is not like the US or Europe. So it is perfectly positioned. The actual company handling this deployment is Acropolis AI Robotics — and they are a local UAE company, which is nice to see. The UAE is not importing that technology.
You built MSB Intel into one of the fastest growing AI accounts on Instagram. What made you bet on AI intelligence as the next thing to build?
I had a great time at Cointelegraph. I built the social account from 18 million to nearly 200 million impressions. And I realised that people do not need more news — they need more understanding. AI is tangible in almost every sector around this planet. In media, in labour, in almost every sector. I built MSB Intel to be more than news — something that understands AI and is able to teach people about it, because we are moving very quickly and people need to keep up.
Where are the smartest investors putting their money in physical AI right now?
If we look at Nvidia's venture arm as our North Star — what they are doing is investing into the robotic brain. We saw the chips in the first part of the race. I think the second part of the race is the foundation layer. Now we are seeing people interested in humanoid robots, in the actuators, the brain, the thinking, the processes that make all of it real life.
If someone watching right now wants real exposure to this trend, what is the first move?
They first need to look for a physical AI company in their specific sector, in their line of work — understand what it does, understand why it is changing their industry. And then if they wanted financial exposure, they could probably go for an index fund. But truly understand what difference it is making, what the industry could look like in six months, and why you should be paying attention. That is how you win first mover advantage.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Thank you.
