Population ageing, as a common phenomenon in developed countries, has now become a challenge for many developing countries in the “post-demographic dividend era”. Although population ageing causes supply-side shocks such as labor shortages, its impact also includes positive aspects. By using UN population data and industrial robot data, this study examines how population ageing affects the application of industrial robots. The results indicate a significant increase in the utilization of industrial robot due to population ageing. This effect is realized through three channels: the labor cost anti-driving effect, the human-machine conflict weakening effect, and the human capital accumulation effect. Furthermore, the results of heterogeneity analysis show that the driving force is more pronounced in countries (regions) with higher strategic readiness, technical readiness, and talent readiness in the field of intelligent manufacturing. Therefore, it is crucial to strengthen strategic deployment, technological research, and talent training in the field of intelligent manufacturing to unblock the channels for releasing the positive impact of population ageing.