NEW DELHI, Feb 27: Shocking footage has captured the moment of a humanoid robot going rogue and charging at a crowd of festival-goers.
The video was of an incident in China on February 9 but has come on the social media on Thursday. The video showed that at the Spring Festival Gala in Tianjin, northeast China, the robot, clad in a vibrant jacket, suddenly lunging towards a group of stunned onlookers gathered behind a barricade. Security personnel swiftly intervened, dragging the erratic robot away from the crowd to prevent any potential harm.
Event organizers downplayed the incident, attributing it to a “robotic failure.” They assured that the robot had successfully passed safety tests before the event and emphasised that measures have been taken to prevent such an incident from occurring again. The robot in question is a “humanoid agent AI avatar” made by Unitree Robotics. According to reports, a software glitch is believed to have triggered the robot’s erratic behaviour.
This incident is not an isolated one as there have been previous cases of rogue AI making headlines, including an instance where a robot attacked an engineer at Tesla’s Texas factory. The machine pinned him down and inflicted injuries with its claws on their back and arm, leaving behind a trail of blood, according to an official incident report.
In many of these cases, software malfunctions have been identified as the underlying cause, highlighting the importance of robust testing and quality control in AI development. Growing concerns have been raised about the potential risks and consequences of machines on human life. Reacting to the video, one user wrote, “So it begins… An AI-controlled robot attacked a human.”
Another commented, “Just a little preview of our bright future.” A third said, “Can we please work out ALL the glitches before being released upon the public?” A fourth added, “Should we be worried that AIs and robots can turn dangerous against humans due to glitch.”
(Manas Dasgupta)
