Larry Page is at it again. This time, the Google co-founder’s grand experiment is a stealth-mode AI startup called Dynatomics, an outfit reportedly aimed at revolutionizing product manufacturing. According to The Information, the plan is simple—but also completely dystopian: AI will design things, and machines will build them.
Chris Anderson, formerly of Page’s now-defunct electric plane company Kittyhawk, is running the operation. Which makes sense—if you’ve tried to make flying cars work, why not let AI take a crack at the entire manufacturing industry next? Details are scarce, but the goal seems clear: highly optimized, AI-generated designs, built with minimal human meddling.
Page is far from the only one betting that AI can reshape manufacturing. The question isn’t whether AI will take over design and production—it’s how long we have until it does. And with Page’s billions behind it, Dynatomics might just be the company that kicks human engineers to the curb.
Other startups are already marching toward the same future. Orbital Materials is using AI to uncover new materials, from better batteries to carbon dioxide-capturing cells—because why stop at reinventing manufacturing when you can tinker with the fundamental building blocks of matter? Meanwhile, PhysicsX is running AI-powered engineering simulations for aerospace, automotive, and materials science. Simulating reality before actually building things? Sounds eerily efficient.
Then there’s Instrumental, which deploys AI to catch factory defects in real-time. No more relying on tired human eyes to spot a faulty part—let the machines do quality control, too. With each of these startups eliminating another piece of human-dependent manufacturing, it’s not hard to imagine a future where factories hum along without a single living soul inside them.
This isn’t just about making production faster or cheaper. It’s about handing the design and creation of physical objects over to artificial intelligence. If AI can dream up better products, optimize their construction, and oversee the entire process, what exactly is left for human engineers to do?
Maybe that’s the point.
Five Fast Facts
- Larry Page co-founded Google in a garage, proving that world-changing tech doesn’t need a fancy launch pad—just an internet connection and questionable interior decorating.
- Chris Anderson, now leading Dynatomics, previously ran Wired magazine before diving into drones and electric planes. A logical career arc? Debatable.
- Kittyhawk, Page’s flying car startup, shut down in 2022 after years of trying to make personal air travel a thing. Turns out, gravity is a stubborn opponent.
- PhysicsX’s AI simulations are so advanced they’ve been compared to digital twins—virtual clones of real-world systems that predict mechanical failures before they happen.
- Orbital Materials isn’t just about better batteries. Their AI is hunting for materials that could reshape everything from clean energy to space travel. No pressure.