(Hexagon: London) -- New data from an international study by Hexagon, a global leader in measurement technologies, suggests the world’s first “robot generation” has arrived.

Across nine countries, children are growing up with fundamentally different expectations of robotics than today’s adults, shaped by growing up with AI and experiences of intelligent technology. Four in five children (80%) say they are excited about robots, compared with 59% of adults. However, that generation gap varies dramatically around the world.

Britain records a 33 percentage-point gap in excitement about robots, the largest of any country surveyed, with 80% of children excited compared with 47% of adults. By contrast, the gap is just nine points in China (90% vs. 81%), 11 points in India (89% vs. 78%), and 12 points in Brazil (87% vs. 75%). Overall, the findings suggest the robot generation is emerging globally, but adults in some countries are much more enthusiastic than others.

Experience—not science fiction—builds trust

Children’s different levels of excitement may reflect the fact that they’re growing up with AI and greater exposure to robotics than previous generations.

Globally, 85% have used AI in the past three months, compared with 75% of adults, and nearly two-thirds (63%) see value in accessing AI chatbots through a physical robot, compared with 47% of adults.

Children also have greater real-world exposure to robotics. Nearly six in 10 (58%) have encountered a robot firsthand, compared with 48% of adults. The contrast is particularly striking in Britain, where adults are more familiar with robots through films, television, books, and games (77%) than through real-world encounters (30%).

Meanwhile, robot skepticism is rife in British adults; they record one of the highest levels of concern over robots (52%), compared with 44% in China and 29% in South Korea. The stark divide suggests that both familiarity and the nature of that exposure, whether through fiction or real-world encounters, could play a powerful role in shaping how people perceive robots.

From assistant to colleague to boss: Where humans draw the line

The divide between today’s adults and tomorrow’s workforce becomes even clearer in the workplace. Robots are already widely accepted as assistants, with 71% of adults and 76% of children comfortable with them in that role. But acceptance falls as robots are given greater status and authority, and the generations begin to diverge when robots move from assistants to colleagues.

Children are almost 50% more likely than adults to be excited about working alongside a robot colleague (59% vs 40%). In Britain, that workplace divide is particularly pronounced, with 58% of children saying they would be excited to work alongside a robot colleague, compared with just 28% of adults. What’s more, globally, 20% of children compared with 14% of adults believe robots could be the boss.

Burkhard Boeckem, CTO of Hexagon, says, “This isn’t about preparing for a world where robots replace people. It’s about preparing for one where people work alongside intelligent machines every day. The biggest barrier to that future may not be the technology, but whether today’s adults are ready for it. Children are already growing up comfortable with AI and increasingly familiar with robotics, and we need to make sure the rest of society isn’t left behind.”

When asked to imagine having a personal robot assistant, children and adults also envisioned different roles. Children were most likely to see the bigger possibility that robots could unlock, viewing them as learning partners, with 60% wanting help understanding school lessons, and 48% wanting help coming up with ideas for lessons and homework. Adults, meanwhile, saw robots in less collaborative roles, primarily as workplace assistants, with 53% wanting help with basic tasks such as capturing information or simple research, followed by diary and meeting management (38%).

Commenting on the findings is Ferdinand Doepel, deputy head of academic and innovation at Wimbledon High School, who believes that as children anticipate a future increasingly shaped by robots, education will be critical to preparing them for it.

He says, “The most surprising finding isn’t that children are excited about robots, but that they’re already imagining how they’ll work alongside them. But just because young people have grown up with technology, including AI, and they know how to use it at a surface level, doesn’t mean they instinctively understand its implications.

“Students can prompt a chatbot fluently and still not see its limitations, or what leaning on it does to their own thinking, or what happens to the data they put into it,” says Doepel. “Education has an important role to play in equipping young people with the skills to navigate AI, and increasingly robotics, responsibly. To do this successfully, collaboration among educators, policy makers, and industry experts is essential.”

Boeckem says, “Our research shows that preparing for this future means looking beyond technical skills alone. We need to give people practical experience with robotics while building the critical thinking, creativity, and confidence so that people of all ages can use these technologies responsibly. That’s how we ensure every generation can adopt robotics safely, productively, and at scale.”

Methodology

The Hexagon Robot Generation study surveyed 9,000 adults and 9,000 children aged 8–18 in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, China, Brazil, and India. The survey was carried out by Vitreous World on behalf of Hexagon between October and November 2025.

Robot in this context means a machine that can carry out tasks either completely on its own or with human guidance. These tasks could be preprogrammed, or the robot could be acting independently. Robots can be found in many forms—for example, machines that build products, deliver goods, or help at home. They don’t always look like people.