'AI Needs a Body, and Robotics Needs AI': Hexagon Report Sets Agenda for the Autonomous Decade

Summary

LONDON - July 15, 2025 - Hexagon, the global leader in measurement technologies, has published its 2025 flagship report, "Future of robotics 2035: Insights from industry experts." The thought-provoking analysis charts the accelerating fusion of artificial intelligence and robotics–and what it will take for workforces, businesses and societies to thrive through the transformation.

Drawing on expert interviews, global economic insights and survey findings from automation leaders, the report reveals a pivotal turning point. According to the Results of Forrester’s Automation Survey, 2024, 82% of organizations have increased their automation investments in the past year due to genAI capabilities¹. Additionally, the Top 10 Emerging Technologies in 2025 report notes that in 2024, over 25% of global automation leaders accelerated robot investments across all robot categories as a result of gen AI². And yet, as Hexagon’s panel of experts highlights, challenges persist from costly integration with legacy systems to the urgent need for upskilling human talent.

“This report clearly indicates that the future isn’t going to be a clash of robot vs. human. It’s going to be about robots working with humans,” said Burkhard Boeckem, CTO, Hexagon. “We believe the most resilient and competitive organizations will be those that treat autonomy as a scaffold for human potential, not a replacement for it.”

Looking toward 2035, the report sketches three possible trajectories for autonomy. One vision–dubbed the “Robot Renaissance”–forecasts robots reshaping every corner of industry and services. But the report’s expert contributors agree that a so-called “managed mesh” economy is more likely. In this scenario, we can expect interoperable robots to handle around half of routine industrial and service tasks by 2035, with robotics systems quietly integrated into the everyday, allowing workforces to evolve without sudden upheaval.

Key themes and insights from the report:

• Design for dignity is central. The roadmap calls for embedding empathy, inclusion and transparency from pilot phase to post-deployment support.
• The workforce remains wary but curious. Robotics companies can set themselves apart by deploying with empathy and focusing on the people. New deployments, when human-centered and transparent, are welcomed with enthusiasm–from selfies with inspection bots to reskilling pipelines that unlock new roles.
• Integration remains a major obstacle, with 41% of companies citing difficulty embedding robots into existing systems.  And that means the robotics industry needs to evolve with trust and iterate together like a living relationship.
• Autonomy is becoming economically essential, not optional. Robotics investment is surging in regions facing the steepest demographic declines and operational headwinds.

“Humans are adaptive, creative and makers that are not replaceable cogs for output-driven AI,” said Dr. Juliet Aiken, organizational psychologist, Conducere + Volta. “This report reflects on where human strengths surpass automation and outlines the workforce implications from multiple angles to create a rich landscape of the future: one supported by AI where humanoid-robotics enhance work but don’t replace us.”

The full report, featuring contributions from industry leaders will share details of what it would take–technically, economically and socially–to arrive at a transformative future.

See below for a full list of contributors to the report:

• Dr. Juliet Aiken, Organizational Psychologist, Conducere + Volta
• Burkhard Boeckem, Chief Technology Officer, Hexagon
• Amit Goel, Director of Product Management, Autonomous Machines, NVIDIA
• Anthony Hartke, VDC Project Manager, Turner Construction
• Spencer Huang, Product Line Manager, Robotics, NVIDIA
• Mario Mauerer, Global Business Development Manager, Robotics, maxon Group
• Arnaud Robert, President, Hexagon's Robotics division
• Kristofer Wahl, Innovation Manager, Turner Construction
• Chase Williams, Senior Consultant, TechInsights
• Lukas Ziegler, Robotics Evangelist

About Hexagon

Hexagon is the global leader in measurement technologies. We provide the confidence that vital industries rely on to build, navigate and innovate. From microns to Mars, our solutions ensure productivity, quality, safety and sustainability in everything from manufacturing and construction to mining and autonomous systems. Hexagon has approximately 24,800 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.4bn EUR.