When Robo Global’s team recently gathered at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its robotics index and exchange-traded fund, it marked the event in true robotic fashion: A robot, propped on a table, reached out its arm and rang the closing bell as 15 company executives applauded wildly next to it.

This clever, eye-catching gesture was aimed to show the world how easy — and increasingly common — it is for humans to work alongside robots.

“It was symbolic,” said Travis Briggs, chief executive of Robo Global’s operations in the United States. “We’re in the first inning of this transition to automation and artificial intelligence, and there is a massive amount of growth potential.”

Indeed, robotics and automation are no longer viewed as a passing fad or a cool technology for geeks to gush over. Instead, more companies are turning to artificial intelligence to boost productivity and stay relevant in a fiercely competitive market. Experts call it the fourth industrial revolution and compare today’s robotics in the workplace to the early days of the internet.