Robots Stage Street Protest Over AI Regulation in Poland

About 30 robots took to the streets of Warsaw on Monday to demand stronger regulation of artificial intelligence and warn about its growing impact on jobs.

The unusual demonstration took place outside Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs, where the machines marched, waved flags and played protest slogans through loudspeakers.

The protesters included humanoid robots that walked on two legs and quadruped machines resembling dogs. Together, they delivered a striking message about the rapid advance of artificial intelligence and robotics.

The demonstration came as concerns continue to grow over the possibility that machines could replace workers in factories, offices and other areas of employment.

Democratism, an initiative focused on the impact of AI and robotisation on the labour market, organised the protest.

The group said it wanted to stimulate public debate and push authorities to address the consequences of increasingly capable machines before the technology advances further.

One of the robots at the demonstration, an AI-powered humanoid known as Agibot A3, told AFP that its presence showed that such technology had already become a reality.

The robots marched while loudspeakers played slogans including “Defend workplaces”, “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate”.

Organiser Grzegorz Kulis said the demonstration aimed particularly to draw attention to the possibility of humans losing jobs to humanoid robots and artificial intelligence systems.

He argued that governments should establish clear rules before the technology creates a wider labour crisis.

“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” Kulis said.

He called for regulations that would protect workers from the disruptive effects of rapid technological development.

Kulis also said the physical presence of the robots served an important purpose. He explained that their ability to move independently showed how far robotics had already progressed.

“These robots can already move around freely; they’re already ‘protesting’,” he said.

The unusual demonstration attracted the attention of passers-by and also drew Poland’s Digital Affairs Minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, to the scene.

Gawkowski spoke with Kulis during the protest and acknowledged concerns about the development of increasingly sophisticated AI-powered humanoid machines.

He warned that uncontrolled AI models could pose a major challenge as robotisation continues to evolve.

“Uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem,” he said.

Kulis has experience in both the employment sector and the technology industry. He currently works as the chief information officer of a robotics company and serves as chief executive of an employment agency.

He previously served two terms on the Labour Market Council at Poland’s Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

He said the organisers felt compelled to draw public attention to the pace of technological change, which he described as both rapid and unsettling.

“We feel responsible for starting to inform society about the rapid and dynamic technological changes which personally frighten us,” Kulis told AFP.

Poland has already taken steps to bring its national framework in line with European Union rules on artificial intelligence.

In July, conservative-nationalist President Karol Nawrocki signed legislation proposed by the Ministry of Digital Affairs to implement the EU AI Act in Poland.

The law established a national authority with powers to enforce existing European regulations on artificial intelligence.

The robot demonstration has now added an unusual public dimension to the debate over those regulations.

For the organisers, however, the message went beyond the novelty of robots marching through Warsaw. They want policymakers to consider how rapidly advancing AI and robotics could affect workers before the technology becomes even more deeply embedded in the labour market.