The world hasn’t been the same since ChatGPT debuted in November 2022. Then, suddenly out of nowhere, the means to work with large-scale language models pushed AI beyond the hype and into everyday reality.
Like AI, robotics has been talked about, built on, and in some ways adopted for a long time, but we haven’t yet seen that moment of great progress. And at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Les Karpas, Global Head of Physical AI at Nvidia Inception, will dive into why that is and what could change in his Real World AI Stage session, “Robots Are Waiting for Their ChatGPT Moment.” Here’s what stands in your way.
After all, if you’ve watched Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s keynotes over the past few years, you know that the company is bullish on the robotics space. You’ll also have the opportunity to hear Karpas first-hand at Disrupt as he details the limits and opportunities in the AI and robotics field. From October 13th to 15th at Moscone West in San Francisco, you and more than 10,000 technology leaders, founders, and investors will get to know Karpas and a wide range of other AI-focused lineups, from architecture firms to real-world buildings.
Act now and save up to $200 on tickets through September 25th. Prices will increase after September 25th. Because the Disrupt experience is shared, you can save up to 30% when you join as a group.
All-too-real problems facing robotics
Karpas’ views on the core limitations facing general-purpose robots are easy to understand but extremely complex to solve. No one has the internet-wide dataset for physical AI that OpenAI, Anthropic, and others have for languages. Even Waymo and its competitors’ self-driving cars have been able to build up a dataset over years of mileage, and that dataset is still growing from market to market.
A growing ecosystem of startups is now attempting to artificially manufacture that scale through simulations, synthetic data, and underlying models trained on many forms of robots simultaneously. And the challenge of bridging the digital and physical is why we created the Real World AI Stage. Karpas will be joined by the founders of Shield AI, Colossal Biosciences, FieldAI, and Foxglove to experience the unique challenges and opportunities they face.
Nvidia’s unique perspective comes to Disrupt
Karpas is one of the best-placed people in the world to answer the questions posed in the session. As Nvidia Inception’s Global Head of Physical AI, he coordinates the company’s relationships with a broad startup ecosystem across robotics, automotive, manufacturing, mobility, smart cities, and more. The same companies that are trying to solve that data gap are the same companies that he is in regular contact with.
And his path to getting there speaks to the interdisciplinary skills the robotics industry demands. He has held various positions at Stanley Black & Decker, Intellectual Ventures, Herman Miller, iRobot, and Cirque du Soleil, and has served as an architect, manufacturing engineer, startup CEO, venture studio executive, and corporate venture capitalist.
Create your own breakthroughs with Disrupt
This is your chance to hear first-hand what Nvidia thinks about the single biggest bottleneck in physics AI and what it will take to eliminate it. This type of insight can set you apart from your competitors or generate ideas that power your next startup venture. That kind of inspiration is what Disrupt is all about, and you can only get it by being in the room and making connections during the event.
Whether it’s a new source of funding or a new startup to invest in, act quickly to get the ticket that gives you the access you need. Confirm your trip before the price increases on September 25th. Save up to 30% on bundle passes when you join as a group.
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