The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics is placing unprecedented strain on the world's power systems, even as new breakthroughs create machines capable of human-like learning and adaptation.
The Dawn of Living Intelligence
During her keynote at the Innovate Cebu forum, Kimberly Getgen, CEO and founder of InnovationForce, explained that advances in neural networks, sensors, and physical interfaces are fundamentally changing robotics. She stated that these technologies are moving robots beyond rigid automation and towards systems that can learn in real-time and respond in ways that closely mimic human behavior.
"Robotics have historically been limited to predictable environments," Getgen noted. "That's changing as AI and neuron-based systems allow robots to adapt in ways that closely resemble human behavior."
The Immediate Energy Challenge
However, Getgen delivered a stark warning alongside this promising future. She emphasized that the more pressing and immediate challenge is the resilience of the energy systems needed to power this AI-driven revolution.
"The grid that powers our homes, businesses and soon, large-scale AI systems, is already strained," she cautioned. Factors like climate-driven wildfires, extreme weather events, and aging infrastructure are actively testing power networks across the globe.
Getgen stressed that this is not a distant problem, saying, "These pressures are happening now, not decades from now, and they are more urgent than any long-term trend."
Global Priorities and Entrepreneurial Solutions
InnovationForce recently conducted a major analysis, reviewing more than 6,000 infrastructure and energy-related operational challenges worldwide. The findings revealed that the top priorities for utilities and governments are:
- Improving grid resilience
- Modernizing outdated infrastructure
- Meeting surging power demand
- Ensuring energy affordability
The company works to bridge the gap between these immediate operational issues and the innovators developing practical solutions. "We help innovators find a North Star — problems that are real, present and solvable," Getgen explained.
She added that global entrepreneurship is projected to expand dramatically, with more than one billion people expected to be engaged in entrepreneurial activity by 2030. This creates a vast, decentralized network of problem-solvers equipped to tackle urgent global challenges like energy security.
"The next era of problem-solving will be driven by human ingenuity," Getgen concluded. "Everyone innovates — the question is whether we direct that capability toward the challenges most critical to the planet and society."
