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WTF?! In an ironic turn of events, humanoid and quadrupedal robots in Poland protested outside of the country’s digital affairs ministry. The machines demanded increased regulation of AI and automation to protect human jobs from being replaced. But this wasn’t some kind of Futurama-like scenario where the robots had decided to stick up for us meat sacks.
The protest, which saw around 30 robots “chanting” slogans, holding signs, and marching in circles, was organized by Democratism. The group aims to launch a public debate on how rapid AI and advancements in robotization impact the human labor market, according to its website.
“We want regulations, we want rules, we want law” were some of the chants played through loudspeakers. “Don’t wait, regulate, protect jobs.”
Organizer Grzegorz Kuliś said, “We particularly want to address the issue of the potential replacement of people both by humanoid robots and by artificial intelligence in cognitive work.”
https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2097067387052757386
The use of the robots was meant to illustrate that the threat of machines and AI taking jobs is no longer theoretical. With the robots’ existing capabilities on show, it was hoped that the display would make people pay attention and spark a debate.
“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” Kuliś said.
The word “protesting” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. The video shows the machines being manually placed, the chanting was reportedly pre-loaded, and there isn’t a whole lot of movement going on – it doesn’t look like the riot police were on standby.
That’s not to say the threat isn’t real. There have been numerous stories about humanoid robots moving into jobs traditionally occupied by people who inconveniently require wages, breaks, and the occasional day off.
Amazon has long been using robots in its warehouses, while BMW announced plans to put Figure’s humanoids to work in its factories. Hyundai’s proposed deployment prompted its union to warn of a “huge employment shock.”
The companies tend to insist the machines will help workers, not replace them – a line that’s becoming very familiar. Arm’s CEO was rather less reassuring, predicting that AI-powered robots would replace most factory workers within five to ten years.
That’s not to mention the AI-specific job losses that are happening across the globe, either. US tech firms in particular have laid off tens of thousands of people in recent times as they focus on automation and paying for AI infrastructure.
“We are constantly debating the impact of migrants on our society, whilst the vast majority of ‘migrants’ will arrive either, or as humanoid robots in shipping containers from China,” Kuliś warned
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