Subvolts take Robots need bodies to learn. DeepMind's lab shows how physical intelligence drives AI. Feb 8, 2022 - Developers
- Learn about the challenges and approaches to building robots that can learn physical skills autonomously.
- Business
- Understand the importance of physical interaction for future AI capabilities and potential applications.
- Everyday users
- Discover how AI is being developed to interact with the physical world, moving beyond screens.
This episode offers a solid interview with DeepMind researchers on a core aspect of AI development: embodied intelligence.
Let's get physical
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From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Google DeepMind's podcast episode "Let's get physical" explores the necessity of a physical body for intelligence. Host Hannah Fry visits DeepMind's robotics lab, meeting robots learning new skills. The episode discusses training robots at home during lockdown, the prevalence of fake demonstrations, and the challenges of building a robotic football team, featuring insights from DeepMind researchers.
This podcast explores if AI needs a body to be smart. Researchers at DeepMind are building robots that learn skills on their own, like how to play games or move around. It shows why having a physical form helps AI understand and interact with the world better.
This episode offers a look into the practical challenges of building embodied AI. It's for anyone interested in how AI learns to interact with the physical world, a crucial area for companies like Google Gemini and others developing advanced robotics. Understanding physical intelligence is key to creating more capable and lifelike AI systems, moving beyond purely digital models. The research discussed connects to the broader goal of general artificial intelligence.
- HostHannah Fry
- GuestRaia HadsellDeepMind
- GuestViorica PatrauceanDeepMind
- GuestJan HumplikDeepMind
- GuestAkhil RajuDeepMind
- GuestDoina PrecupDeepMind
- Episode Title: Let's get physical
- Show: Google DeepMind: The Podcast
- Length: 34 minutes
- Interviewees: DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell, Viorica Patraucean, Jan Humplik, Akhil Raju & Doina Precup
Do you need a body to have intelligence? And can one exist without the other? Hannah takes listeners behind the scenes of DeepMind's robotics lab in London where she meets robots that are trying to independently learn new skills, and explores why physical intelligence is a necessary part of intelligence. Along the way, she finds out how researchers trained their robots at home during lockdown, uncovers why so many robotics demonstrations are faking it, and what it takes to train a robotic football team.
For questions or feedback on the series, message us on Twitter @DeepMind or email podcast@deepmind.com.
Interviewees: DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell, Viorica Patraucean, Jan Humplik, Akhil Raju & Doina Precup
Credits
Presenter: Hannah Fry
Series Producer: Dan Hardoon
Production support: Jill Achineku
Sounds design: Emma Barnaby
Music composition: Eleni Shaw
Sound Engineer: Nigel Appleton
Editor: David Prest
Commissioned by DeepMind
Thank you to everyone who made this season possible!
Further reading:
Stacking our way to more general robots, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/stacking-our-way-to-more-general-robots
Researchers Propose Physical AI As Key To Lifelike Robots, Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2020/11/11/researchers-propose-physical-ai-as-key-to-lifelike-robots/
The robots going where no human can, BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-41584738
The Robot Assault On Fukushima, WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/fukushima-robot-cleanup/
Leaps, Bounds, and Backflips, Boston Dynamics: http://blog.bostondynamics.com/atlas-leaps-bounds-and-backflips
Now DeepMind is using AI to transform football, WIRED:
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/deepmind-football-liverpool-ai
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- physical intelligence
- Hannah Fry
- intelligence that comes from interacting with the real world through a body
- embodied AI
- Hannah Fry
- AI that uses a physical body to learn and act in the world
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Questions people ask
- What is the main question explored in the podcast?
- The episode questions whether a physical body is necessary for intelligence and if one can exist without the other.
- What specific robotics projects are discussed?
- The podcast covers robots learning new skills independently, training robots at home during lockdown, and the development of a robotic football team.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Hannah Fry.