About 30 robots took to the streets of Warsaw, Poland, on Monday, waving flags, “chanting” slogans and marching in circles to demand stronger regulation of artificial intelligence.
The demonstration was organised by Democratism, an initiative that seeks to stimulate debate on how artificial intelligence and robotisation could affect the labour market.
One of the AI-powered humanoid robots, Agibot A3, told AFP that the demonstration was intended to show that robotic technology had already become a reality.
“The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality,” it said.
The robots, which included bipedal humanoids and dog-like quadrupeds, marched while loudspeakers played slogans including “Defend workplaces”, “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate”.
Organiser Grzegorz Kulis said the protest was particularly focused on the potential replacement of human workers by humanoid robots and artificial intelligence capable of performing cognitive tasks.
“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” Kulis said, calling for rules and regulations that would protect workers from the potential impact of rapid technological change.
He said the use of robots in the demonstration was also intended to draw public attention to their growing capabilities and highlight the urgency of regulating the technology.
“These robots can already move around freely; they’re already ‘protesting’,” he said.
The demonstration attracted the attention of passers-by and was also visited by Poland’s Digital Affairs Minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, who spoke with Kulis at the scene.
Gawkowski warned about the potential risks posed by increasingly advanced artificial intelligence systems incorporated into humanoid robots.
“Uncontrolled AI models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem,” he said.
Kulis, who is the chief information officer of a robotics company and chief executive officer of an employment agency, said he felt responsible for raising public awareness about the rapid pace of technological development.
“We feel responsible for starting to inform society about the rapid and dynamic technological changes which personally frighten us,” he said.
Kulis previously served two terms on the Labour Market Council at Poland’s Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy.
The protest comes amid efforts by Poland to implement the European Union’s artificial intelligence regulations.
In July, Poland’s conservative-nationalist President, Karol Nawrocki, signed into law legislation proposed by the digital affairs ministry to put the EU AI Act into practice.
The legislation established a national authority responsible for enforcing existing EU artificial intelligence regulations, which had already formally entered into force.