January 21, 2026

The Physical AI Revolution: Why Robots Will Matter More Than Chatbots with Anto Patrex

Most of the AI world is obsessed with chatbots, agents, and software abstractions. Anto Patrex thinks that’s a distraction.

Anto is the founder and CEO of CosmicBrain AI, a former NASA robotics engineer, and an early member of Elon Musk’s xAI team where he helped build Grok. In this episode of Not Another Podcast, Anto makes the case that the real AI revolution won’t live on your screen. It will walk, lift, build, and fight in the physical world. We’re talking humanoid robots today.

In this episode, we talk about why Anto left one of the most coveted roles in AI to bet on humanoid robots, why “physical AI” is advancing faster than most people realize, and how his now-viral Robot Fight Club events ended up convincing skeptical investors and enterprise leaders that robots are far more capable than they thought.

This conversation goes deep into the mechanics and implications of robotics: how robots learn by watching humans, why data and manufacturing matter more than flashy demos, and why China is currently ahead of the U.S. in the robotics race. We also unpack the long-term consequences for jobs, labor markets, national security, and why Anto believes optimism about technology is not naïve, but essential.

If you’re curious where AI is actually headed next, this episode will stretch your imagination and reset your mental model.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why physical AI is a bigger opportunity than chatbots and agents
  • Anto’s journey from NASA → xAI → founding CosmicBrain
  • What Elon Musk taught him about constraints, speed, and belief
  • Why Robot Fight Club wasn’t a gimmick and actually accelerated adoption
  • The U.S. vs China robotics race and what’s at stake
  • Why robots won’t kill jobs, but will radically reshape them
  • How humanoid robots learn skills by watching humans
  • What the next 5–10 years of robotics could look like

🎙️ Listen now and rethink what “AI” actually means.