AI engineers do not necessarily have to know robotics, but knowing it can be extremely useful, particularly in areas such as automation, autonomous cars, and robotic process automation. Robotics deals with hardware, sensors, and actuators that communicate with the physical world, whereas AI deals with decision-making, pattern detection, and learning from examples. Knowing robotics enables AI engineers to design smarter, more effective AI-based robotic systems, enhancing adaptability and problem-solving ability.
Furthermore, robotics and AI are frequently intersecting in domains such as natural language processing, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. AI for robotics engineers requires insight into robotic kinematics, control systems, as well as robotic perception so as to make easy integration with the hardware possible with AI algorithms. AI also plays a pivotal role in robotic autonomy, where the robot is empowered to run effectively in a changing environment with fewer human interactions. While software AI engineers might not need extensive robotics expertise, robotics AI enthusiasts need to build a basic understanding of robotics concepts to achieve maximum efficiency and innovation.