Watch: Is It Time To Hire Robots?

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A robot work force sounds like a science fiction plot line, but entrepreneur Peter Diamandis said we should expect robotic co-workers within the decade.

"Companies that say, 'Oh no, I only hire humans,' are going to have a hard time competing in the marketplace," said Diamandis, who is the founder of the X PRIZE foundation.

Diamandis sees robotics as a major growth opportunity in IT. At the recent Cisco Partner Summit, the entrepreneur pitched partners on the reality of what might seem far-fetched, pointing out Google's acquisition of eight robotics companies last year.

"Coming online this decade, we see robots entering every phase of our life," Diamandis said.

Diamandis showed Cisco partners a video of Google's autonomous car and predicted, "My kids, who are now turning three in June, will never drive a car." Google's self-driving car generates about 750 MB of data per second with sensors and radar, and Diamandis tied the opportunity back to Cisco. "This is part of the Internet of Everything," he said.