About 30 robots took to the streets outside Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs in Warsaw on Monday, in an unusual demonstration calling for stronger artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and greater protection for workers whose jobs could be threatened by automation.
The machines waved flags, moved in circles and played recorded messages such as “Defend workplaces,” “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate,” turning an unusual scene into a serious warning about the future of employment.
The protesters included humanoid robots capable of walking on two legs and four-legged machines resembling robotic dogs.
The demonstration was organised by Democratism, an initiative focused on encouraging public debate about the growing impact of artificial intelligence and automation on jobs.
One of the humanoid robots, an AI-powered machine identified as Agibot A3, told demonstrators that its presence was intended to show that the technology was no longer something confined to the future.
“The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality,” it said.
Organiser Grzegorz Kulis said the campaign was driven by concerns that increasingly capable robots could eventually replace people in physical jobs, while AI systems could take over cognitive and office-based roles.
“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” Kulis warned, calling for regulations that could protect workers facing rapid technological changes.
He said putting robots on the streets was also intended to demonstrate what they can already do rather than treating workplace automation as a distant possibility.
“These robots can already move around freely; they’re already ‘protesting’,” he said.
Poland’s Digital Affairs Minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, visited the demonstration and spoke with Kulis.
Gawkowski acknowledged the potential risks posed by increasingly advanced humanoid robots and AI systems operating without sufficient oversight.
“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 a chief information officer at a robotics company and also heads an employment agency, previously served two terms on Poland’s Labour Market Council under the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy.
He said society needed to pay closer attention to the speed at which artificial intelligence and robotics were advancing, warning that regulation must keep pace with technological development.
The demonstration came after Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed legislation in July to implement the European Union’s AI Act in the country. The law established a national authority responsible for enforcing the bloc’s artificial intelligence regulations.
The EU AI Act introduces a risk-based regulatory framework, imposing stricter requirements on AI systems considered capable of affecting employment, public safety and fundamental rights.
The Warsaw protest highlights a growing debate over whether regulation can keep pace with rapid developments in generative AI and humanoid robotics, particularly as businesses increasingly explore automation as a way to reduce costs and improve productivity.
With robots already capable of performing increasingly complex tasks, the unusual demonstration served as a striking reminder that the debate over AI is no longer simply about future technology, but also about protecting the jobs and livelihoods of people today.