Jan Bosch

Latest essay

Machines that think, Part 9: sensing the world

In 2016, a mechanical lidar cost something like 80,000-100,000 dollars; a 64-beam Velodyne was around 80,000 dollars. Today, solid-state units are being targeted below 200 dollars, with a stated long-term goal of 100 dollars and several competitors aiming under 500 dollars. That’s a reduction…

21 October 2026 · 6 min read

Machines that think, Part 8: AI in the lab

Of everything in this series, the laboratory is where I would most like the optimistic story to be true. And it partly…

October 2026 · 6 min read

Machines that think, Part 7: energy and the grid

There’s a pleasing symmetry in the way the electricity demand of artificial intelligence usually gets discussed. While AI is an enormous…

October 2026 · 7 min read

Machines that think, Part 6: machines on the move

For most of the last decade, “autonomous vehicles are two years away” was a joke you could tell at any industry dinner…

September 2026 · 7 min read

Machines that think, Part 5: the factory floor

If you had to design the ideal environment for industrial AI from scratch, you’d design a factory. It’s enclosed and…

September 2026 · 6 min read

Machines that think, Part 4: The humanoid question

The argument for the humanoid is the best argument in robotics, and I want to make it explicit and clear before I…

September 2026 · 7 min read

Daily Reflections archive →

Reflection №daily-reflection-323-slow-is-smooth-smooth-is-fast

Daily Reflection #323: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

I argued recently that pressure is a good thing, and I stand by it. Deadlines concentrate the mind and force prioritisation in a way that abundant time never…

26 October 2026

Reflection №daily-reflection-322-what-you-tolerate-becomes-the-standard

Daily Reflection #322: What you tolerate becomes the standard

Every organisation has a document somewhere describing its values. Almost none of them describe the actual culture. The real culture is a far simpler thing: it is the…

23 October 2026

Reflection №daily-reflection-321-the-messy-middle

Daily Reflection #321: The messy middle

Projects do not usually die at the beginning. The beginning is easy: the idea is fresh, the possibilities are open, and enthusiasm does most of the work for…

22 October 2026

Reflection №daily-reflection-320-you-become-what-you-attend-to

Daily Reflection #320: You become what you attend to

We have become thoughtful about what we put into our bodies. We read labels, count protein, think about what a diet does to us over years. Almost nobody…

21 October 2026

Reflection №daily-reflection-319-imagine-it-already-failed

Daily Reflection #319: Imagine it already failed

At the start of a project, optimism is not just common; it is socially enforced. The kickoff is a celebration. The plan is exciting. Anyone who raises a…

20 October 2026

Reflection №daily-reflection-318-most-apologies-are-defences