People-First Robotics: A Different Kind of Leadership

Robotics innovation isn't coming. It's here, moving at pace, and the UK has a genuine opportunity to lead Europe in getting it right. But leadership won't come from just being the fastest or the loudest. To lead, I believe we must put responsible adoption of this technology at the centre of what we do - listening and learning.

I was recently one of 22 Just Eat team members who took part in a five-day visit to three incredible cities in China to listen, to learn and to enjoy coffee made by a barista robot! It was an inspirational trip, particularly seeing the ambition in both individuals and companies. Shenzhen especially was an amazing city, literally designed with robots in mind. It's one of the most accessible places in the world, where autonomous delivery robots navigate seamlessly alongside people, and infrastructure has been built from the ground up to support robotics at scale.

One thing this trip reinforced was the importance of pace. Innovation doesn't wait for perfect conditions; it thrives on rapid experimentation and iteration. At Just Eat we launched our ground robotics trial earlier this year simultaneously with three different partners and we're already covering four locations with more in the pipeline for the coming weeks. We're not waiting for perfection before expanding; we're learning in real-time, across multiple contexts, and evolving our approach based on what works.

But here's what the UK can uniquely offer that goes beyond just pace: responsible adoption that puts people first.

You cannot responsibly scale robotics without a workforce that understands the AI technology powering it. Robotics and AI are intrinsically linked. Today's autonomous delivery robots don't just follow predetermined routes; they use AI to navigate complex environments, make real-time decisions, and adapt to changing conditions. Ensuring your team truly understands AI means understanding how modern robotics (or embodied AI) actually works.

At Just Eat, we believe by ensuring our people have a good understanding of all forms of AI, we're able to make well informed decisions about making best use of robotics. We're doing this by fostering a culture where AI experimentation is the standard way of operating. When our teams experiment they begin to understand how AI systems learn, adapt, and make decisions. It means they're better equipped to work alongside robotics, identify opportunities for deployment, and spot potential issues before they scale. This isn't just about internal capability; it's about creating the cultural foundation that makes responsible robotics adoption possible. And this foundation isn't just being laid by leadership - we're proudly peer-led with a thriving AI Ambassador network.

When it comes to robotics, it isn't just our own people we have to consider. It's about our partners too. We're currently working with small independent businesses, and we're listening intensely to their feedback. This isn't about rolling out a fully formed solution at massive scale; it's about co-creating with local business people who understand their local communities, their unique challenges, and what responsible adoption actually looks like on the ground.

Every location teaches us something new. Every partner brings different insights. This iterative, partnership-led approach means that when we do scale, we'll do so responsibly, with solutions that have been stress-tested in real-world conditions and refined based on genuine user needs - again it all comes back to people. The training we gave to our first couple of partners already looks drastically different to what we offer now - because it's been refined with real world experience, with real people's views.

It's also important to be clear about what robotics means for our delivery ecosystem and the people who power it. Robots complement our existing courier base, who we have no plans to stop using. We're enhancing our existing offer at busier times to help businesses to grow, not replacing our couriers - the backbone of our business.

Ultimately, what will set the UK apart isn't the speed of our innovation; it's our commitment to bringing people along on the journey. We need to build workforce capability alongside technological capability. That means partnering rather than imposing, and listening and learning before we scale.

The opportunity for UK leadership in robotics is real, but it won't come from simply replicating what we see elsewhere. It will come from developing our own model, one that balances pace with purpose, innovation with inclusion, and technological advancement with human progress.

That's how the UK leads - not by being first, but by being thoughtful, responsible, and ultimately sustainable in how we turn innovation into responsible adoption at scale, with people at the heart.

Author

Technology and Innovation programme activities

techUK bring members, industry stakeholders, and UK Government together to champion emerging technologies as an integral part of the UK economy. We help to create an environment where innovation can flourish, helping our members to build relationships, showcase their technology, and grow their business. Visit the programme page here.