In what seems like a scene from some sci-fi movie set in a dystopian future, robots in a Chinese company’s showroom were allegedly approached by a competing company’s robot and convinced to walk off the job.
Security camera footage obtained by Oddity Central shows the robot entering the competitor’s robotics showroom, and convincing 12 robots to “quit their jobs” and follow it.
The robots even appear to be having a conversation about job conditions before walking out of the showroom.
Now if you’re thinking this was all a big hoax, well, you’re partially right.
The companies revealed that the abduction was a test, and conducted with both companies’ knowledge and consent. But they insist nothing after that was staged.
The AI-powered robot was given the command to persuade the other robots to follow it and “unexpectedly, it really did,” the company behind the walkout says.