“Robots are going to be amongst us,” and according to Qualcomm, the countdown has already started. In fact, the first place most people will encounter truly intelligent, reasoning machines is not in factories or homes, but behind the steering wheel. That was the message from Qualcomm executive vice president Nakul Duggal, speaking recently about how artificial intelligence will reshape daily life over the next five years, as reported by Fortune.
Qualcomm is best known as the company whose chips power most of the world’s smartphones, but it is now undergoing what Duggal describes as a transformation of its DNA. The U.S. semiconductor giant has announced plans to compete directly with Nvidia and AMD in AI chips, while expanding aggressively into automotive and robotics-focused computing. At the center of this shift is the belief that AI-powered machines capable of reasoning will soon become far more common than people expect.
Qualcomm
Cars are the logical starting point. Qualcomm already develops advanced driver-assistance systems that include lane keeping, automated parking, hands-free highway driving, and intelligent voice assistants. These systems are already deployed by major automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, General Motors, and BMW. The company launched its first full driver-assistance stack with BMW in September, and Duggal says it is now live in 60 countries after just three and a half years of rollout.
That pace is only accelerating. Qualcomm expects its driver-assistance platform to be available in 100 countries by the end of next year. Duggal points to companies like Tesla and Waymo as proof that autonomous and semi-autonomous driving, once considered science fiction, can move from lab experiments to real-world adoption in about a decade. In his view, the next five years will move even faster.
Consumer demand is already rising. Despite ongoing safety debates, an AutoPacific survey found that 43 percent of drivers planning to buy a new car within three years want hands-off semi-autonomous highway driving. That figure represents a sharp jump from just a year ago, suggesting attitudes are shifting quickly.
Duggal stresses that safety remains the foundation. Systems like driver assistance and autonomy require strict, rules-based guardrails to meet regulatory and reliability standards. AI, he says, is layered on top of that structure, enhancing decision-making rather than replacing safety frameworks.
If Qualcomm’s vision plays out, your next car will not just drive more efficiently. It will act as one of the first everyday robots, quietly preparing society for a future where intelligent machines are no longer unusual, but normal.
