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Poland witnessed an unusual demonstration on Monday when about 30 robots took to the streets of Warsaw to protest the growing threat artificial intelligence and automation pose to human employment.
The robot protesters gathered outside Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs, carrying flags, moving in circles and broadcasting slogans calling for stronger regulation of AI and greater protection for workers whose jobs could be displaced by emerging technologies.
The demonstration was organised by Democratism, an initiative focused on encouraging public discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence and robotics on employment.
Among the machines taking part was Agibot A3, an AI-powered humanoid robot, which told AFP that the protest was designed to show that advanced robotics was no longer a distant prospect.
“The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality,” Agibot A3 said.
The procession included different forms of robots, from humanoid machines capable of walking on two legs to four-legged robotic devices resembling dogs.
Through loudspeakers, the demonstrators delivered messages including “Defend workplaces”, “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate”.
Grzegorz Kulis, one of the organisers, said the demonstration was intended to draw attention to the possibility of humans being replaced by both physical robots and AI systems capable of performing cognitive tasks.
“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 told AFP.
“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” he added, calling for regulations capable of protecting workers from the effects of rapid technological change.
Kulis said placing robots at the centre of the protest was deliberate because their ability to operate independently in public demonstrated how quickly robotics technology was advancing.
“These robots can already move around freely, they’re already ‘protesting’,” he said.
The unusual gathering attracted the attention of Poland’s Digital Affairs Minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, who visited the protest site and spoke with the organisers.
Gawkowski warned that increasingly sophisticated humanoid robots powered by AI could become a major challenge if their development and deployment were not properly regulated.
“Uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem,” he said.
Kulis, who works as the chief information officer of a robotics company and heads an employment agency, said the organisers wanted to alert the public to the speed of technological advancement.
He also has previous experience on Poland’s Labor Market Council under 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,” Kulis said.
The demonstration comes as Poland implements the European Union’s regulatory framework for artificial intelligence.
In July, Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed legislation proposed by the digital affairs ministry to establish a national system for implementing the EU AI Act.
The law created a national authority responsible for enforcing the bloc’s existing AI regulations, which had already formally entered into force.
