The Case for Habitat argues that the next AI transition will not be decided by model capability alone, but also by the operating environment in which intelligence is deployed. Drawing on nearly a decade of work at the intersection of deep-tech startups and global industrial corporations, it introduces the concept of the habitat layer: the trust protocols, permissions, governance structures, and auditability frameworks that determine whether an AI agent can act safely and repeatedly in the physical world. The moat is not the model.
The Case for Habitat circulates privately among those building, governing, funding, and studying Physical AI. If that is your work, you are welcome to one.
To request the Founder's Edition, please write to tal@talcohen.ai