Czech Mastery: Kofola, Beer, and... the Word "Robot"!

The Czechs are absolute masters of simplicity and brilliant ideas. They’ve got Kofola, the best beer in the world (sorry, Germany), and a word that revolutionized technology-robot.

Yep, you read that right. It’s thanks to Karel Čapek and his play "R.U.R." in 1920 that the world first heard the term that’s now on the lips of every engineer, programmer, and sci-fi fan out there.

At first, Karel Čapek wasn’t sure what to call his artificial beings—"labori" or "automatons" were options on the table. But then his brother, Josef, had a lightbulb moment: roboti. The word comes from the Czech robota, meaning forced labor. It was the perfect fit for the characters in R.U.R.—humanoid creatures made of living tissue, designed to serve humans. And just like that, the word robot was born—not from metal and screws, but from an idea that took over the world in no time.

The word robot has made an incredible journey, from stage fiction to everyday reality. Today, it’s hard to imagine industry, technology, or even our homes without robots—whether it’s industrial arms or those little vacuum cleaners zipping around. But Čapek saw something deeper in them than just tools—he warned about the dangers of dehumanizing the world. And while robots have come a long way since then, his caution feels just as relevant today.

Takeaway for today

It’s crazy how one word can change the world. Karel Čapek gave us "robots," and we gave them our factories, our trust, and—okay—sometimes our patience (especially when they break down). A hundred years later, robots are here to stay, for better or worse. Let’s just hope we never end up switching roles.

Oh, and I’m not sure if I can say this, but if you type Karel Čapek R.U.R. PDF into Google… let’s just say you might find the full play. 😉

Your daily AI dose

Mindstream is your one-stop shop for all things AI.

How good are we? Well, we become only the second ever newsletter (after the Hustle) to be acquired by HubSpot. Our small team of writers works hard to put out the most enjoyable and informative newsletter on AI around.

It’s completely free, and you’ll get a bunch of free AI resources when you subscribe.

Click here to subscribe