Around 30 robots staged a march outside Poland's Digital Affairs Ministry to press for tighter regulation of AI and robotics. The protest, organised by Democratism, highlighted concerns that humanoid robots and cognitive AI could displace workers. Organiser Grzegorz Kulis and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski both stressed the urgency of rules to protect jobs. In July, Poland enacted a law to implement the EU's AI Act and created a national authority to enforce it.
Robots Parade in Warsaw Calling for AI Regulation to Protect Jobs
Robots ranged from bipedal humanoids to dog-like quadripeds (Sergei GAPON)
About 30 robots marched outside Poland's Digital Affairs Ministry in Warsaw on Monday, waving flags, broadcasting slogans and marching in circles to demand clearer rules for artificial intelligence and robotisation.
The demonstration was organised by Democratism, an initiative that says it seeks to spark public debate "on how AI and robotisation affect the labour market." The machines on show ranged from bipedal humanoids to dog-like quadrupeds, deployed to illustrate the technology's current capabilities.
Agibot A3, identified as one of the AI-powered humanoid participants, told AFP, "The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality." Loudspeakers replayed slogans including "Defend workplaces", "Time for rules" and "Don't wait, regulate."
Organiser Grzegorz Kulis — who is now CIO of a robotics company, CEO of an employment agency, and a former two-term member of the Labor Market Council at the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy — said the protest aimed to highlight the risk of job displacement. "We particularly want to address the issue of the potential replacement of people both by humanoid robots and by artificial intelligence in cognitive work," he said. "If we don't react now, we may soon have a problem."
"These robots can already move around freely, they're already 'protesting'." — Grzegorz Kulis
The march drew the attention of passers-by and a visit from Poland's Digital Affairs Minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, who spoke with Kulis at the scene. Gawkowski warned that "uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem."
In July, Poland's president Karol Nawrocki signed into law a bill from the ministry that implements the EU's AI Act domestically, creating a national authority empowered to enforce the EU regulations that have already taken effect at the European level.
The organisers said using real robots was both a means to attract public attention and to demonstrate why prompt regulation is needed, arguing that visible demonstrations of capability underscore the urgency of protecting workers and shaping rules for autonomous systems.
Why it matters: The protest highlights growing public concern about the impact of AI and robotics on employment and the need for governance frameworks to manage risks as automation technologies advance.
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