Maseru, July.21– Global Debate investigated the accelerating race to commercialize humanoid robots, asking if humanity should actively embrace the technology now.
The debate was hosted by CGTN with speakers ranging from university lecturers, AI and Robotics experts, AI company owners and university students.
As capital floods into the sector and manufacturers scale production, experts debated whether the human form is the inevitable future of embodied intelligence or an impractical design for the present.
The high-stakes debate centred on two primary arguments regarding the necessity, readiness and timing of humanoid robotics.
Andy Mok, Author of “The Innovation Machine: How China creates and adopts Technology through governance” advocated that humanoid robots are the inevitable, ultimate design for machines designed to operate in human spaces.
He said with aging populations and shrinking workforces globally, robots are urgently needed to sustain healthcare, manufacturing and household independence.
Because our world was built for humans, humanoid robots do not cost extra time or money to adapt to our existing infrastructure.
He emphasized China’s rapid scaling of manufacturing, arguing that setting technological standards now will shape global trade and safety regulations for the next decade.
On the other hand, Skeptics argued that placing immediate, all-in bets specifically on the humanoid form is a compelling but premature narrative.
Fan Haoqiang, Co-Founder Dexmal, an embodied AI company noted that for pure utility, wheeled robots or robotic arms are much faster, more efficient and cheaper to produce than humanoids.
He said rather than focusing solely on humanoid hardware, the industry should invest in “embodied intelligence” infrastructure that can benefit all robotic forms.
He highlighted that, at this stage, humanoid robots rely too heavily on remote control and are not yet sufficiently capable of performing complex, autonomous tasks in the real world.
Meanwhile a key sub-topic of the debate addressed the transition of humanoids from performative stunts to real-world employment.
With Chinese companies (like AGIBOT and Unitree) shipping thousands of units to retool factories and retail spaces, the conversation shifted to safety.
Debate participants stressed the need for global AI governance, insisting that the development of robot “brains” and independent reasoning must be regulated, ethical and safe for all of humanity.
Meanwhile, recently Lesotho was among the 29 countries that signed the founding agreement for the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation (WAICO) in Shanghai, China.
Ends/AT
