An army of humanoid robots flooded the streets of Warsaw outside Poland's digital affairs ministry, staging a protest demanding strict AI safety regulations before technology takes over human jobs. Passers-by watched as bipedal androids and dog-like quadrupeds marched in circles, waving flags while loudspeakers blasted automated chants including "Defend workplaces", "Time for rules" and "Don't wait, regulate."
Robots deliver direct message
One of the AI-powered humanoid robots issued a direct message to humanity at the scene. "The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality," Agibot A3 told AFP.
The protest was organised by Democratism, a movement sounding the alarm over how rapidly advancing technology will destroy human livelihoods. Organiser Grzegorz Kulis warned that the age of human workers could be rapidly drawing to a close.
Organiser warns of job replacement
Kulis 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." He added: "If we don't react now, we may soon have a problem," emphasising the urgent need for "rules and regulations that would serve as a shield protecting workers."
Kulis, who served two terms on Poland's Labour Market Council, warned that the capabilities on display are just the beginning. "These robots can already move around freely, they're already 'protesting'. We feel responsible for starting to inform society about the rapid and dynamic technological changes which personally frighten us," he said.
Minister acknowledges threat
Poland's Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski admitted the impending AI takeover is a massive threat. "Uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem," he said.
The protest comes shortly after Poland's conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki signed a bill to enforce the EU's landmark AI Act, creating a national watchdog to try and rein in the technology.
AI insider quits with warning
It also follows an AI insider sensationally quitting his job after issuing an apocalyptic warning that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity by 2030. Tech expert Jacob Coxon walked out of safety and research firm Anthropic, claiming greedy tech giants are "gambling" with our lives in a reckless race toward superintelligence.
Warning that the public should not "underestimate the power of this technology", he claimed executives secretly fear the worst behind closed doors. Coxon said: "I spent the last three years doing pretraining research at both OpenAI and Anthropic. Neither company is acting responsibly. The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade."
