# Why AI Is Still Blind to the Physical World and How Flexible Chips Could Change Everything

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-talks-daily-3579/why-ai-is-still-blind-to-the-physical-world-and-how-flexible-chips-could-change-everything
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-talks-daily-3579/why-ai-is-still-blind-to-the-physical-world-and-how-flexible-chips-could-change-everything.md
Podcast: [Tech Talks Daily](https://stenobird.com/podcast/tech-talks-daily-3579)
Published: 2026-05-17T00:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://techtalksnetwork.com/
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/techblogwriter/Pragmatic_Semiconductor..mp3?dest-id=289572
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tech-talks-daily-3579/episodes/why-ai-is-still-blind-to-the-physical-world-and-how-flexible-chips-could-change-everything
Duration seconds: 1237

## Resource

What if the biggest limitation holding AI back isn't the model, the data center, or the algorithm, but the fact that most physical objects in the world still cannot communicate digitally? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sat down with Richard Price, CTO and co-founder of Pragmatic Semiconductor, to explore why AI systems remain "half blind" to the physical world and what happens when everyday objects finally become intelligent, connected, and verifiable data sources. Richard shared how Pragmatic Semiconductor is taking a radically different approach to chip design by creating flexible, ultra-thin semiconductors built specifically for item-level intelligence. Rather than competing directly with traditional silicon, Pragmatic is designing lightweight, low-cost electronics that can integrate directly into packaging, labels, healthcare patches, wearable devices, and products that conventional chips cannot support economically or physically. During our conversation, we unpacked why the long-promised "Internet of Everything" has remained frustratingly out of reach for so many years. Richard explained that while silicon has powered decades of incredible innovation, scaling connectivity to billions or even trillions of everyday objects introduces major cost, energy, and sustainability challenges. Pragmatic's flexible semiconductor technology aims to solve that by reducing manufacturing complexity, lowering environmental impact, and enabling intelligence directly at the edge. We also discussed how embedding intelligence at the item level could reshape supply chains, sustainability initiatives, healthcare systems, and even consumer trust. From reducing food waste through smarter logistics to enabling wearable healthcare sensors with entirely new form factors, Richard paint…

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