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Humanoid robot lashing out at customer goes viral and has people questioning the future of AI
A video of a humanoid in a robotics store in Russia has gone viral across social media, provoking questions around the future of AI.
There has been a long-held belief that these human-like metal circuits will not only be our future, but the orchestrators of our eventual demise, such is their limitless potential.
Humanoid lashes out after being pushed by man in viral footage
Thanks to CCTV footage from a Russian electronics shop and showroom, we have been given a glimpse of what that future may look like should the forecasts for a droid-led coup come to fruition.
In the video, a humanoid can be seen approaching a man, presumably a customer, before the man extends his arm to shake the robot's hand.
However, the bot cheekily refuses the handshake, prompting the customer to give it a slight push.
Reacting to the shove, the humanoid then begins its attack, posturing as though it was ready to fight, before it started to lash out via a series of kicks and punches, all while playing music as it lashed out.
While the humanoid didn’t land any meaningful blows, the men around it quickly rushed to the off switch, as they attempted to regain control of the situation that had drastically escalated.
While it is unknown whether this was a pre-meditated ploy by the electronics company in question, or whether the humanoid seemingly acted on its own accord, it has understandably left many questioning AI’s future.
Social media responds to the viral video of the 'human-noyed' lashing out
In the video uploaded across social media, which has since gained millions of views, many users took to the comments to share their thoughts on the humanoid's reaction, and what it could mean for the future of AI.
One user on Instagram wrote: “This is exactly how robot uprising memes are born.”
Another said: “Wait till the government has thousands of them marching towards you and kill anything that moves. Now the people in the comments won't be joking about it.”
While some were quick to voice their concern over the robot’s fighting capabilities, others were far more forgiving, even siding with the droid’s right to self defense.
A third added: “See? Humans are mean. The robot didn't do anything.”
While another Instagram user went further: “I’m with the robot on this. He pushed it.”