Humanoid robots gather together to protest AI in bizarre world first

The robots are revolting against their human overlords, but don't worry, it's not quite Terminator 2: Judgment Day just yet.

Instead of trying to wipe mankind off the face of the Earth or trigger weapons to nuke us into oblivion, these mechanical mates are here to fly the flag for the human race.

Instead, the world's first (as far as we know) robot protest is to fight against the evolution of AI in 2026. With Nvidia's Jensen Huang cheering the arrival of OpenAI's release of GPT-6 Astra as heralding the birth of artificial general intelligence, we're potentially one step closer to artificial superintelligence and fears that it could be the last thing humans invent before they're wiped out.

First reported by Agence France-Presse, the motley crew of rattling robots took to the streets of Warsaw to protest AI layoffs. Ironic, as it could be argued that some of those very machines seen here are responsible for flesh-and-blood humans losing their jobs.

Of course, this is the point of the robot protest, with humans deploying their humanoid counterparts to send a message.

Chants of "defend workplaces", "time for rules", and "don't wait, regulate" played from loudspeakers, as robots ranging from Boston Dynamics-inspired dogs to human-looking companions shared the message of a group called Democratism.

The group is attempting to debate "how AI and robotisation affect the labour market," which is a fear that's been shared numerous times in terms of job losses. The likes of Bernie Sanders have made their feelings clear, complaining that AI could displace millions of real human beings.

In a statement to AFP, the AI-powered Agibot A3 said: "The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality."

Organiser Grzegorz Kulis added: "We particularly want to address the issue of the potential replacement of people both by humanoid robots and by artificial intelligence in cognitive work. If we don't react now, we may soon have a problem.”

Kulkis said this emphasizes the need for "rules and regulations that would serve as a shield protecting workers."

He maintains that the fact that robots can already move around freely and protest is merely a sign of things to come.

Poland's Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski was also in attendance, speaking to Kulis about his concerns and adding: "Uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem."

Reportedly serving as the CIO of a robotics company and CEO of an employment agency, Kulis also served two terms on Poland's Labor Market Council at the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy.

With this, he feels responsible for "starting to inform society about the rapid and dynamic technological changes which personally frighten us."

Critics claim that Kulis is using 'scare tactics' to promote his own agenda, which was somewhat confirmed by an interview with Gazeta.pl.

The outlet noted that the Democratism movement was led by Delta Robots, which rents robots for events. It also lists Kulis' employment agency called Weagree, as a content partner, leading to questions about what the real message is here.

Kulis admitted the protest has 'some' PR value, concluding: "But we truly feel that the rapid changes in the labor market will be very painful. And even though we're deploying robots in companies, we're also humans, and we have a whole host of concerns that if we don't regulate this, we'll soon find ourselves in an unprecedented situation that no human being can handle."