Korea’s robots face a tough probation

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In focus

• Why South Korea’s physical AI race runs through the factory gates
• A look in our archives at Southeast Asia’s robotics startups
• GoTo’s foray into Indonesian language AI

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Hello reader,

In an ideal workplace, we get some slack when starting a new job. We all need time to learn systems, understand workflows, and figure out where everything is.

Now imagine being hired to match or beat the people already doing the job, in a place with little to no tolerance for mistakes. Welcome to working life as a robot.

South Korea looks like a promising place for a robot to land that first job. It has manufacturers across industries, extensive experience with industrial robots, and a shrinking workforce driving demand for automation.

For startups building the next generation of robots, plenty of potential customers are within reach. Getting through probation is another matter.

In today’s top story, I explore what happens when South Korea’s physical AI ambitions meet the demands of the factory floor.

Many manufacturers already have equipment they trust and routines built around it. A new robot has to earn its place within that setup.

Who pays for that learning curve? Government funding covers some trials, while shared testing facilities give startups room to iterate. Getting customers to invest also helps to an extent.

The harder job, as startups in Southeast Asia are finding, is persuading manufacturers to take part at all.

Glenn Kaonang, journalist

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Top Story

Korea’s physical AI ambitions meet the factory’s bottom line

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From our archives

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