Robots Take to the Streets in Poland to Protest AI Threat to Jobs

Robots have taken part in an unusual street protest in Poland, where organisers used humanoid and animal-like machines to draw attention to concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence and automation on jobs.

The demonstration was organised by an initiative called Democratism, with robots marching in circles while carrying flags and broadcasting messages through loudspeakers.

Among the machines at the protest was Agibot A3, an AI-powered humanoid robot, alongside other robots including bipedal humanoids and dog-like quadrupeds.

The robots displayed signs and flags as slogans including “Defend workplaces,” “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate” were played through loudspeakers.

Human organiser Grzegorz Kulis said the protest was designed to draw attention to the possibility of robots and AI replacing people in both physical and cognitive jobs.

“We particularly want to address the issue of the potential replacement of people both by humanoid robots and by artificial intelligence in cognitive work,” Kulis said.

He warned that governments and society need to respond quickly to the rapid development of the technology.

“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” he said, calling for regulations to protect workers.

The demonstration also highlighted how rapidly robotics technology is developing, with organisers arguing that robots are no longer simply a distant concept but are increasingly capable of performing tasks in the real world.

The protest comes as Poland and other European Union countries implement new rules governing artificial intelligence. The EU AI Act uses a risk-based approach, imposing stricter requirements on AI systems considered capable of causing greater harm.

Poland has also introduced legislation to establish a national framework for supervising AI and created a Commission for the Development and Safety of Artificial Intelligence.