Khosla Ventures Partner Sees Robotics Have A ‘GPT-3 Moment’ In 2026; Warns Of Anti-AI Protests From White-Collar Employees

• Robotics will have a foundational advancement in capability rather than a widespread consumer breakthrough like ChatGPT, as per Choi. 
• Looking at the exit landscape, Choi cautioned that a potential market correction could favor mergers and acquisitions over initial public offerings.
• However, he tipped Grayscale, the cryptocurrency asset manager, as a likely first IPO candidate.

Venture capitalist at Khosla Ventures Ethan Choi foresees a transformative year ahead for technology, with robotics achieving a significant leap in capabilities and potential social unrest among white-collar workers over AI-driven job disruptions.

Ethan Choi, a partner at the Menlo Park-based firm Khosla Ventures, shared his predictions for 2026 in an interview with Business Insider. Choi anticipates that robotics will experience its own "GPT-3 moment" in 2026—a foundational advancement in capability rather than a widespread consumer breakthrough like ChatGPT. As per Choi, this breakthrough will allow for versatile robots capable of handling real-world tasks.

"In 2026, we'll see robotics experience its own GPT-3 moment," Choi told Business Insider. "One of the leading robotics models will demonstrate human-level intelligence applied to the physical world, mastering complex spatial, temporal, and embodied tasks that mark the beginning of true general-purpose robotics."

Choi Sees Protests Against AI

Choi also predicted the emergence of large-scale protests against artificial intelligence—not from blue-collar workers traditionally impacted by automation, but from white-collar professionals.

“We'll have the first of dramatic anti-AI protests in certain countries with white-collar workers, not blue-collar workers, demanding job security in the face of AI disruption,” he said in the interview.

Who Will Go IPO First In 2026?

Looking at the exit landscape, Choi cautioned that a potential market correction could favor mergers and acquisitions over initial public offerings. However, he believes the strongest companies can still go public.

He tipped Grayscale, the cryptocurrency asset manager, as a likely first IPO candidate, while also naming insurtech company Ethos and travel platform Klook among other candidates.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ) and Global X Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ) trended in the ‘bearish’ territory, coupled with ‘low’ message volume.

Sentiment around Global X Robo Global Robotics & Automation ETF (ROBO), meanwhile, remained ‘bullish’. 

Read also: 'Big Short' Investor Michael Burry Says He Is Not Short Tesla Even As He Calls The Stock ‘Ridiculously Overvalued’

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