A bizarre new scene has emerged in China, where advanced humanoid robots have been filmed kneeling in busy city streets and asking passersby for money to recharge their batteries. The reports say the robots appeared in several major cities in recent weeks, including Beijing, Chengdu, and Fuzhou, holding signs with messages such as, "Please pay my electricity bill" and "I don't have money to charge my phone." Some also had QR codes set up for digital payments.
The clips quickly spread on Chinese social media and drew intense debate. Some viewers saw the robots as a warning sign of artificial intelligence spreading into every corner of life, even threatening human jobs, including those of homeless people and street beggars. Others questioned whether the scenes were genuine at all.
Experts cited in the report said the scenario makes little economic sense. They pointed out that advanced humanoid models such as Unitree's G1 and H2 are expensive machines, making them impractical for begging. That has led to speculation that the displays were either art installations meant to provoke reflection on the absurd relationship between people and technology, or a marketing stunt designed to attract public attention.
