Application scenarios of robots continue to expand in China
People's DailyOct 09, 2023
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has released plans to mass-produce humanoid robots by 2025, claiming that such a development will "reshape the world."
According to a guideline published by MIIT, such humanoid robots are "expected" to become a "disruptive product" — similar to that of "computers, smartphones, and new energy vehicles" of the past.
The continued expansion of robot development in China highlights the country's rapid technological advancements. Already important roles in both established and growing industries, China is building upon already-established momentum within sectors such as AI and seizing an exciting opportunity to seismically change the world in a manner that seemed impossible only years prior.
China's ambitious plan isn't an attestment to its technological prowess but rather an indication of an impending economic catastrophe as it seeks to leverage technological breakthroughs to combat an aging population crisis as well as sizeable labor shortages. Beijing's focus on humanoid robotics is also a clear attempt to challenge the likes of Japan and the US and present itself as a global leader in the field.
To produce humanoid robots powered by AI is simply playing with fire and a certainty to end poorly. For humanity to create and then place trust in creations exponentially more powerful and more intelligent than us is naïve. Such a progression in technology mirrors the beginning of a plethora of stories portraying the downfall of mankind.
There's a 50% chance that the creation of a humanoid robot that the general public judges as indistinguishable from humans will occur by February 2058, according to the Metaculus prediction community.