WARSAW, Poland — Around 30 robots marched through the streets of Warsaw on Monday in an unusual demonstration aimed at drawing attention to the growing influence of artificial intelligence and robotics on employment, as campaigners called for stronger rules to prevent technology from displacing human workers.
The demonstration took place outside Poland’s digital affairs ministry, where humanoid and quadruped robots were used to deliver a highly visual warning about the speed at which artificial intelligence and automation are developing. The machines waved flags, moved in circles and appeared to “chant” slogans played through loudspeakers as organisers pressed their case for greater regulation.
Among the messages broadcast during the protest were calls to “Defend workplaces”, “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate”. The demonstration brought together different types of robots, ranging from bipedal humanoid machines to four-legged, dog-like models, highlighting the expanding capabilities of modern robotics.
The protest was organised by Democratism, an initiative that says it seeks to encourage public discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence and robotisation on the labour market. Organisers said the decision to put actual robots on the streets was deliberate: they wanted the public to see that technologies capable of performing increasingly sophisticated tasks are no longer confined to laboratories or theoretical discussions.
“The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality,” Agibot A3, one of the AI-powered humanoid robots participating in the demonstration, told AFP.
For organisers, the demonstration was less about the machines themselves than about what their growing capabilities could mean for people whose jobs may eventually be performed by automated systems.
“We particularly want to address the issue of the potential replacement of people both by humanoid robots and by artificial intelligence in cognitive work,” organiser Grzegorz Kulis told AFP.
Kulis warned that governments and societies risk being overtaken by technological developments if they wait until large-scale job displacement has already occurred before establishing safeguards.
“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” he said, arguing that clear rules and regulations were needed to protect workers as artificial intelligence and robotics continue to advance.
Robots Used to Demonstrate the Technology’s Growing Capabilities
The unusual sight of robots marching outside a government ministry attracted the attention of people passing through the area. Kulis said the spectacle itself was an important part of the organisers’ message because it demonstrated what robots are already capable of doing rather than presenting automation as a distant possibility.
“These robots can already move around freely, they’re already ‘protesting’,” he said.
The demonstration therefore served two purposes. It was a campaign for regulation, but it was also a public display of the technology that campaigners believe makes regulation increasingly urgent.
Humanoid robots capable of walking and interacting in public spaces stood alongside quadruped machines, offering a practical illustration of the different forms automation can take. The organisers argued that the machines’ presence provided a more immediate way of discussing the potential consequences of AI than conventional political campaigning alone.
Their central concern was the possibility that businesses could increasingly turn to artificial intelligence and robotic systems for tasks currently performed by people. While physical jobs may be affected by humanoid machines, Kulis also highlighted the potential impact of AI on cognitive work, expanding the debate beyond traditional industrial automation.
The organisers said they wanted the public to begin discussing those changes before technological development reaches a point at which workers and policymakers are struggling to respond.
Kulis said he and those involved in the initiative felt a responsibility to raise awareness about the pace of technological change, which he described as rapid and dynamic.
“We feel responsible for starting to inform society about the rapid and dynamic technological changes which personally frighten us,” he told AFP.
Digital Affairs Minister Joins Demonstration
The demonstration also drew the attention of Poland’s Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who visited the site and spoke with Kulis as the robots continued their protest outside the ministry.
Gawkowski acknowledged concerns about the development of increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems, particularly when such models are incorporated into humanoid robots whose capabilities could continue expanding as robotics technology advances.
“Uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem,” he said.
His presence at the demonstration brought the campaign directly into contact with the government ministry responsible for digital affairs, underscoring the growing policy debate surrounding artificial intelligence and its regulation.
The organisers’ concerns come as governments across Europe work to establish frameworks capable of managing the development and use of AI while addressing its economic and social consequences. In Warsaw, however, the issue was presented in an unusually tangible form: machines themselves became the symbols of the potential disruption campaigners fear.
Kulis brings experience in both employment and technology to the debate. He currently serves as the chief information officer of a robotics company and is also the chief executive of an employment agency. He previously served two terms on the Labor Market Council at Poland’s Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy.
That background has placed him at the intersection of technological development and employment policy, areas increasingly connected by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence.
Poland Moves to Implement EU AI Rules
The Warsaw protest also comes against the backdrop of Poland’s efforts to put European Union artificial intelligence regulations into practice.
In July, Poland’s conservative-nationalist President Karol Nawrocki signed into law legislation proposed by the digital affairs ministry to implement the EU’s AI Act nationally. The law established a national authority with the power to enforce existing European Union rules governing artificial intelligence.
The EU legislation had already formally entered into force, but Poland’s new framework provides a domestic institutional mechanism for enforcing those regulations.
For campaigners, however, the creation of regulatory structures is only part of the broader challenge. Their demonstration focused particularly on the consequences of AI and robotics for employment, arguing that technological advances need to be accompanied by protections capable of preventing workers from being left behind.
The presence of robots outside the ministry gave the campaign a deliberately provocative character. Rather than simply warning that machines could transform the workplace in the future, organisers brought machines into the public space to demonstrate that elements of that future are already present.
The robots’ ability to walk, move around independently and participate in a choreographed public demonstration was intended to make the argument visible. The message was that policymakers should consider the consequences of automation while there is still time to establish rules, rather than waiting for technological adoption to accelerate further.
Debate Over AI and the Future of Work
At the heart of Monday’s demonstration was a question increasingly confronting governments, businesses and workers: how should society respond when technology becomes capable of performing tasks traditionally carried out by humans?
The organisers did not frame the issue solely as opposition to technological progress. Instead, their argument centred on the need for regulation that could provide workers with protection as businesses adopt increasingly advanced AI and robotic systems.
Their call for a “shield protecting workers” reflected concern that technological gains could create significant disruption if employment policy does not evolve alongside automation.
The choice of Warsaw’s digital affairs ministry as the protest location reinforced that message. The ministry is directly involved in shaping Poland’s response to emerging digital technologies, making it a natural destination for campaigners seeking government action.
The spectacle also demonstrated the communication power of robotics. Around 30 machines marching together, waving flags and accompanying their movements with recorded slogans created an image designed to attract public attention and encourage discussion about a technology that can otherwise seem abstract.
For Kulis and Democratism, that visibility was part of the campaign itself. If robots can already operate in public spaces and perform coordinated activities, they argued, then concerns about their future role in workplaces should not be dismissed as speculation.
Monday’s demonstration therefore combined protest, public education and technological display, turning Warsaw’s streets into a stage for a debate over how quickly artificial intelligence is advancing and how quickly regulation should respond.
As Poland continues implementing the European Union’s AI framework, the campaigners’ message was straightforward: technological development may be moving rapidly, but protections for workers must keep pace.
The robots left the streets after making their point, but the question behind the demonstration remains larger than the machines themselves — whether governments can establish effective rules quickly enough to manage an era in which artificial intelligence and robotics are becoming increasingly capable of performing work once reserved for people.
Robots Take to Warsaw Streets in Unusual Protest Calling for Tougher AI Regulation
