May 20 2025: The automotive industry is accelerating toward a bold new era as smarter robots and AI-driven automation transform factory floors into so-called "dark factories" - fully automated facilities that can operate without human presence or lighting.

Major manufacturers like Tesla, Toyota, and BMW are investing heavily in robotics systems powered by machine learning and advanced computer vision. These systems can handle everything from welding and assembly to quality control and logistics, often with greater speed and precision than human workers.

"Robots are now capable of self-optimizing their performance," said Dr. Elena Weiss, a robotics engineer at the European Institute of Automation. "They're not just following scripts anymore; they're making decisions in real time based on sensor data and predictive models."