New Delhi: Robots in Poland have staged a protest to call for improved AI regulations.
On 7 September, around 30 humanoid and quadruped (dog-like) robots staged a protest outside the Ministry of Digital Affairs in Warsaw. The machines waved flags, marched in circles, and “chanted” slogans via loudspeakers. Slogans included “Defend workplaces,” “Time for rules,” and “Don’t wait, regulate.”
The event was organised by Democratism, a social initiative that aims to spark public debate on how AI and robotics affect the labour market. Organisers said that using robots to protest was intended to show that the technology is already a reality rather than a distant prospect.
“We particularly want to address the issue of the potential replacement of people both by humanoid robots and by artificial intelligence in cognitive work,” organiser Grzegorz Kulis told AFP.
“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” he added, emphasising that there is a need for “rules and regulations that would serve as a shield protecting workers”.
One of the AI-powered humanoid robots, identified as Agibot A3, told reporters, “The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality.”
The robots, supplied by Polish company Delta Robots, drew attention from passers-by. Delta Robots has produced humanoid and quadruped machines for over a decade.
Poland’s Digital Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski came out to meet the organisers.
“Uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem,” he was told by Kulis.
Kulis is now the CIO of a robotics company and CEO of an employment agency. He has previously served two terms on the Labor Market Council at the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy.
“We feel responsible for starting to inform society about the rapid and dynamic technological changes which personally frighten us,” he said.
Gawkowski acknowledged risks from uncontrolled AI models and evolving humanoid machines. He stressed that “the human comes first,” and noted Poland’s steps to implement the EU AI Act, including plans for a Commission for the Development and Security of Artificial Intelligence and regulatory sandboxes.