Robots can't talk to each other yet -- that's a big AI bottleneck

Gettyimages: Andriy Onufrienko

Physical AI is increasingly moving into factories, warehouses and other operational settings.

Gartner identifies it as one of its top strategic technology trends for 2026.

Yet the tendency to treat it as a single tech category could prevent companies from realizing its full value. Instead, the research firm argued that businesses should shift their attention from individual devices to the systems that coordinate them -- a strategy that is currently limited.

"Robot vendors are keen to push themselves as complete solutions and often demonstrate their products as standalone objects which can be seamlessly integrated into existing workflows. This is, clearly, not the case," said Bill Ray, an analyst at Gartner, told TechTarget.

According to Ray, current orchestration platforms are limited in functionality and primarily focused on industries where multiple robot fleets already interact, such as warehouses.

"We do see a patchwork approach being used, but there's an unserved opportunity for orchestration, which will grow as the number of robots and other physical AI increases," he added.

Operating beyond individual robots

Orchestration involves a software layer that connects robot fleet management systems to one another and to broader building and enterprise infrastructure.

Robot vendors will continue to provide fleet management software, Ray said, with the orchestration layer coordinating tasks among robots rather than communicating directly with each machine.

He pointed to Accenture's Physical AI Orchestrator as an example of the emerging approach, with more providers expected to enter the market with orchestration platforms tailored to specific industries.

Yet Jan Liphardt, a Stanford University associate professor of bioengineering who is also helping develop robotics software at OpenMind, argued that making robots work together reliably remains a substantial challenge.

Interoperability is not the only barrier

Looking ahead