Robotics Industry's ChatGPT Moment Hasn't Arrived Yet, Says ex-Nvidia VC Amulya Vishwanath

While industry leaders declare 2026 the inflection point for physical AI, a former Nvidia executive offers a contrarian view: robotics is still in its foundational "LEGO era," and major technical barriers must be overcome before the field experiences a true breakthrough moment. Amulya Vishwanath, who spent seven years at Nvidia before launching Techable Ventures—an early-stage venture capital firm focused on physical AI—pushes back against the narrative that robotics has finally arrived. Speaking to TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Vishwanath argued that while many analysts and executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, have pointed to 2026 as the "ChatGPT moment" for robotics, the field is actually in a foundational building phase she compares to the LEGO era—when basic components are being developed and assembled, not yet integrated into cohesive systems.