Ignite Startups: How Anthony Jules of Robust AI Is Redefining Human-Robot Collaboration | Ep201

In today’s rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and automation, the most exciting breakthroughs aren’t about replacing humans — they’re about augmenting us.

That’s the core message from Anthony Jules, Co-Founder and CEO of Robust AI, who joined Brian Bell on the Ignite Podcast to explore how the next generation of robots will collaborate with humans in the workplace.

A 30-year tech veteran, Jules has built a career at the intersection of software, AI, and human systems. From helping grow Sapient Corporation from three people to over 4,000 and taking it public, to leading robotics initiatives at Google, his perspective is shaped by both technical expertise and a deep understanding of human behavior.

“The future of robotics isn’t about pure autonomy — it’s about collaboration. The best systems use people for what they’re good at and robots for what they’re good at.” — Anthony Jules, Robust AI

From Trinidad to MIT to Tech Pioneer

Anthony’s story begins in Trinidad and Tobago, where he first started programming at age 11 and built his first video game in his teens. His curiosity and drive led him to MIT, where he studied AI and robotics long before they became buzzwords.

After graduating, he joined the founding team of Sapient Corporation, a company that helped Fortune 500 firms build some of the earliest client-server and internet systems. Sapient scaled to thousands of employees and went public — an experience that gave Anthony a front-row seat to the dynamics of hypergrowth, organizational culture, and systems thinking.

“Things that use feedback loops perform better than things that don’t,” he explains. “That’s true for organizations and for robots.”

Returning to Robotics: From Redwood to Google

After Sapient, Anthony returned to his first love — robotics. He co-founded Redwood Robotics, a company that designed collaborative robot arms that were safe and easy for humans to train. The startup was later acquired by Google, where Anthony worked on next-generation robotics and machine learning systems.

Inside Google, he saw firsthand how deep learning was years ahead of what most of the world thought possible — and it changed his perspective forever.

“At Google, I realized we could build incredibly capable robots — but I also saw that full end-to-end AI systems lacked transparency. If we want robots to operate in the real world, they need to be modular and explainable.”

That belief — that robots must not only perform well but also explain why they act — became the foundation for his next venture.

Founding Robust AI: Building Smarter, More Transparent Machines

In 2019, Anthony teamed up with robotics legend Rodney Brooks (founder of iRobot and co-inventor of the Roomba) to create Robust AI. The company’s mission: build collaborative robots that are intelligent, flexible, and fundamentally human-centered.

Their flagship robot, Carter, looks like a smart mobile shelf — but under the hood, it’s a powerful AI system. Using eight cameras and advanced computer vision, Carter can see and understand its environment in 360 degrees. It navigates safely, collaborates naturally with humans, and reduces wasted motion in logistics and manufacturing.

Unlike traditional robots that rely on LiDAR or pre-programmed paths, Robust AI’s system uses semantic understanding — recognizing people, boxes, and forklifts instead of just obstacles. This allows for fluid, adaptable movement and safer collaboration on busy warehouse floors.

Why Collaborative Productivity Is the Future

Jules calls Robust AI’s approach “collaborative productivity” — the idea that pairing human intuition with robotic precision delivers the best results.

“Getting to 99% autonomy might cost you X,” he explains. “But getting to 99.9% costs 10X more. That last 1% can often be done better by people — and you gain human oversight in the process.”

This philosophy has resonated with major players like DHL Supply Chain, Robust AI’s landmark customer and the world’s largest logistics provider. Their systems help workers save time, reduce walking distances, and handle materials more efficiently — all while maintaining human agency and control.

The Ethics of Physical AI

As robots become more integrated into workplaces, ethical questions follow. For Jules, the answer lies in transparency, trust, and design.

He emphasizes three pillars for ethical robotics:

* Safety – ensuring both real and perceived safety in human-robot environments.

* Transparency of intention – making it clear what the robot is doing and why.

* Honesty about impact – acknowledging when automation reduces labor needs and managing that transition with empathy and openness.

“No one objects to being more efficient,” Jules says. “But we must design systems that are not just productive — they have to be humane.”

Looking Ahead: The “Rainforest” of Robotics

When asked about the future, Anthony doesn’t see a world dominated by humanoid robots. Instead, he imagines a “rainforest” of diverse machines — specialized robots that work together like different species in an ecosystem.

From autonomous carts and robotic arms to AI-driven sorters and conveyors, the next wave of robotics will be modular, interoperable, and context-aware — designed to interact with both humans and other robots.

“It’s not robots replacing humans. It’s robots working with humans — and with other robots — to make the world run better.”

Staying Grounded Amid Exponential Change

Despite leading a company at the frontier of AI and robotics, Jules remains grounded through meditation and reflection.

“We live in a world that systematically destroys attention,” he says. “Meditation helps me reclaim it — it’s about staying centered so you can keep seeing clearly in the middle of change.”

Final Thoughts

Anthony Jules represents a new kind of AI leader — one who believes the future of automation lies not in replacing people but enhancing human capability.

His work at Robust AI is redefining how we think about productivity, ethics, and the relationship between humans and machines. As AI continues to advance, Jules’ message rings clear: the most powerful technology is the kind that makes us more human.

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Chapters: 00:00 Intro & Origin Story

01:27 Founding Sapient Corporation

03:00 Lessons in Leadership and Culture

05:43 Transition to Robotics

06:12 Google Acquisition and Lessons Learned

09:00 Inside Google’s Robotics Vision

11:45 Leaving Google to Start Over

13:55 Founding Robust AI with Rodney Brooks

15:50 Early Challenges and COVID Pivots

19:00 Human-Robot Collaboration

22:00 Cameras vs. LiDAR

24:44 Sensor Debate: Tesla vs. Waymo

26:59 The Robust AI Tech Stack

30:07 Collaborative Productivity

34:14 Real-World Deployments

37:18 Powering Robots with NVIDIA

39:22 Practical Robotics vs. Humanoids

42:40 Partnership with DHL Supply Chain

46:15 The Next Five Years of Robotics

49:33 Synthetic Data and Simulation

51:07 Scaling Phase and Phase Shifts

53:02 Reflections on Growth and Systems Thinking

Transcript

(00:00:00)Welcome to the Ignite Podcast, where we explore the intersection of startups, technology, and innovation. I’m your host, Brian. Today, I’m joined by Anthony Jules, co-founder and CEO of Robust AI. We’re going to dive into his fascinating journey—from MIT to Sapient, to Google, to building robots that redefine human-robot collaboration. Anthony, welcome to the show.

(00:01:06)Thanks, Brian. It’s my pleasure to be on the show.

(00:01:21)Yes. So I usually always kick off each episode with pretty much the same question. What’s your origin story? Tell us about your background.

(00:01:28)Okay. So unfortunately, I have to go really far back in time for that one. I’m originally from Trinidad and Tobago, moved to the U.S. when I went to MIT, but started programming computers when I was 11 and made my first video game in my teens, then came to the U.S., I studied AI and robotics at MIT. Went on from there to be part of the founding team of a company called Sapient Corporation and helped build that from three people when I started to almost 4,000 by the time I left and helped take that public. And then came back to robotics, which is the focus, if you will, for really all of my life is about how people and machines interact in meaningful ways. So came back to that, have done a couple of startups, and I’m sure we’ll get into that in the next few minutes here.

(00:02:18)Yeah, amazing, amazing career arc. For people who don’t know what Sapient i