--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So, where are the robots? We've been told…" description: "\"So, where are the robots? We've been told for 40 years already that they're coming soon. Very soon they'll be doing everything for us. They'll be cooki..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/hod-lipson-31697_any_so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told_107349.jpg" --- # So, where are the robots? We've been told for 40 years… ![“So, where are the robots? We've been told for 40 years already that they're coming soon. Very soon they'll be doing everything for us. They'll be cooking, cleaning, buying things, shopping, building. But they aren't here. Meanwhile, we have illegal immigrants doing all the work, but we don't have…” quote by Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/hod-lipson-31697_any_so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told_107349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/hod-lipson-31697_any_so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told_107349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/hod-lipson-31697_any_so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told_107349.jpg) > “So, where are the robots? We've been told for 40 years already that they're coming soon. Very soon they'll be doing everything for us. They'll be cooking, cleaning, buying things, shopping, building. But they aren't here. Meanwhile, we have illegal immigrants doing all the work, but we don't have any robots.” [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker points out the gap between expectations of ubiquitous robots and reality, noting that labor is still performed by humans, including undocumented workers. **In simple terms:** Robots promised, but humans still do the work. Key Takeaway Technological hype vs. labor reality. Themes technology labor expectations Mood skeptical critical Type social commentary When to use this quote - industry forecasts - immigration debates Key Concepts automation lag economic disparity Practical Applications - manage expectations with realistic timelines Questions to Reflect On - What factors delay widespread robot integration? A Different Perspective Robotic adoption varies by sector; some tasks are already automated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Illegal immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal-immigrants/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Meanwhile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanwhile/) [Robotics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robotics/) [Robots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robots/) [Shopping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shopping/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I take issue with many people's description of people being "Illegal" Immigrants. There aren't any illegal Human Beings as far as I'm concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/i-take-issue-with-many-people-s-description-of-people-being-illegal/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [Robots are very tricky to design and expensive, whereas humans are cheaply manufactured. Humans can handle things with greater manual dexterity than most robots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/robots-are-very-tricky-to-design-and-expensive-whereas-humans-are/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Many visitors to Chicago know the Loop, the shops on the Magnificent Mile, and the Museum Campus. Meanwhile, much of the bustle is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/many-visitors-to-chicago-know-the-loop-the-shops-on-the-magnificent/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [Marketers use big data profiling to predict who is about to get pregnant, who is likely to buy a new car, and who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/marketers-use-big-data-profiling-to-predict-who-is-about-to-get/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [In the summer of 1952, when I was 30, the Army assigned me to an infantry unit fighting in Korea. Meanwhile, though, there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eisenhower/in-the-summer-of-1952-when-i-was-30-the-army-assigned-me-to-an/) [John Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eisenhower/) > [The Fed should make a clear commitment to stable money to reduce the swings in interest rates and inflation. Instead, it champions and flaunts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-malpass/the-fed-should-make-a-clear-commitment-to-stable-money-to-reduce-the/) [David Malpass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-malpass/) > [Meanwhile I married and I adopted three kids who were all from one family and then later I was divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/meanwhile-i-married-and-i-adopted-three-kids-who-were-all-from-one/) [Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/) > [Meanwhile, people have to join us and fight back against the federal government that has dropped the ball, that is in bed with these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gray-davis/meanwhile-people-have-to-join-us-and-fight-back-against-the-federal/) [Gray Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gray-davis/) > [I think the most important thing my wife Cynthia and I can do for Kristen is to teach her how to grow up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-mccord/i-think-the-most-important-thing-my-wife-cynthia-and-i-can-do-for/) [Kent McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-mccord/) > [Ever-busy, ever-building, ever-in-motion, ever-throwing-out the old for the new, we have hardly paused to think about what we are so busy building, and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/ever-busy-ever-building-ever-in-motion-ever-throwing-out-the-old-for/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [I've got all my old laptops going back to my first, which was so fancy at the time, in '93 or '94, but now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-ve-got-all-my-old-laptops-going-back-to-my-first-which-was-so-fancy/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [God really doesnt reside in any temple, he is just an imposter who stays outside it for sometime and meanwhile we fail to recognise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/god-really-doesnt-reside-in-any-temple-he-is-just-an-imposter-who/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Increased physical activity during the school day can help children's attention, classroom behavior, and achievement test scores. Meanwhile, the decline of play is closely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darell-hammond/increased-physical-activity-during-the-school-day-can-help-children-s/) [Darell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darell-hammond/) > [And meanwhile, the storytellers like me and Anderson, Silverberg... we tell stories. People like them. They want to know how it comes out, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/and-meanwhile-the-storytellers-like-me-and-anderson-silverberg-we/) [Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/) ## More by Hod Lipson > [We tend to think of science as finding equations, like E=MC2, that are simple and elegant. But maybe some theories are complicated, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/we-tend-to-think-of-science-as-finding-equations-like-e-mc2-that-are/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Restrictions are difficult to enforce in a world where anybody can make anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/restrictions-are-difficult-to-enforce-in-a-world-where-anybody-can/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [The only way to make something cheaply today is to have it mass-produced. For example, you wear the same shoes as everyone else. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/the-only-way-to-make-something-cheaply-today-is-to-have-it-mass/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [3D printing is already shaking our age-old notions of what can and can't be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/3d-printing-is-already-shaking-our-age-old-notions-of-what-can-and/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [When it costs you the same amount of manufacturing effort to make advanced robotic parts as it does to manufacture a paperweight, that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/when-it-costs-you-the-same-amount-of-manufacturing-effort-to-make/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [We've seen computers play chess and beat grand masters. We've seen computers drive a car across a desert. But interestingly, playing chess is easy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/we-ve-seen-computers-play-chess-and-beat-grand-masters-we-ve-seen/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [If you're talking 100 years, there's no doubt in my mind that all jobs will be gone, including creative ones. And 100 years is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/if-you-re-talking-100-years-there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-all-jobs/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [The next episode of 3D printing will involve printing entirely new kinds of materials. Eventually we will print complete products - circuits, motors, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/the-next-episode-of-3d-printing-will-involve-printing-entirely-new/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [The moment somebody is making money off the recipes, that's when you'll see digital rights management around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/the-moment-somebody-is-making-money-off-the-recipes-that-s-when-you/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [I think, once recipes become digital, pirating a digital recipe and all the questions that you have with music and so forth will become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/i-think-once-recipes-become-digital-pirating-a-digital-recipe-and-all/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Basically, any material you can squeeze, melt or generate into a powder, you can print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/basically-any-material-you-can-squeeze-melt-or-generate-into-a-powder/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Worrying about how you're going to make something is a huge constraint - most people can't make anything at home because it's too expensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/worrying-about-how-you-re-going-to-make-something-is-a-huge/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Similar to computer technology in the '60s, 3-D printing is a universal technology that has the potential to revolutionize our life by enabling individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/similar-to-computer-technology-in-the-60s-3-d-printing-is-a-universal/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [A hexagonal piece of cheese is a lot better than a square piece of cheese,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/a-hexagonal-piece-of-cheese-is-a-lot-better-than-a-square-piece-of/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [If you gave kids peas that didn’t look like peas and said they were a space shuttle, they’re much more apt to eat them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/if-you-gave-kids-peas-that-didn-t-look-like-peas-and-said-they-were-a/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) [Explore all 16 Hod Lipson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) ## More Any quotes > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [We earned any fans with the way we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-white/we-earned-any-fans-with-the-way-we-play/) [Jimmy White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-white/) > [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/) [Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/) > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The system in Germany is different, as you sign up with a company for two or three years, and you work exclusively with them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wlaschiha/the-system-in-germany-is-different-as-you-sign-up-with-a-company-for/) [Tom Wlaschiha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wlaschiha/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [I love the sea, but I avoid any sort of seaside resort that has skyscrapers or seaside entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-blake/i-love-the-sea-but-i-avoid-any-sort-of-seaside-resort-that-has/) [Quentin Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-blake/) Browse all 6,938 Any quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So, where are the robots? We've been told for 40 years already that they're coming soon. Very soon they'll be doing everything for us. They'll be cooking, cleaning, buying things, shopping, building. But they aren't here. Meanwhile, we have illegal immigrants doing all the work, but we don't have any robots.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hod Lipson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told-for-40-years-already-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Any" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told-for-40-years-already-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/hod-lipson-31697_any_so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told_107349.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/hod-lipson-31697_any_so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told_107349.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/hod-lipson-31697_any_so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told_107349.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So, where are the robots? We've been told for 40 years already that they're coming soon. Very soon they'll…” — Hod Lipson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hod Lipson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "So, where are the robots? We've...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told-for-40-years-already-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told-for-40-years-already-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```