Move Over, Humans. China's Robots Are Taking Over

The Journal.

In China, humanoid robots are on the rise. Robots with heads and torsos have been spotted staffing the front desk at hotels, working factory floors, and serving lattes. It's all thanks to an investment boom and subsidies from the Chinese government, which is betting on "embodied AI" as the next frontier in a global arms race. WSJ's Yoko Kubota explains how China's robots got so good, and what the US is doing to catch up. Ryan Knutson hosts.

Further Listening:


- China and the U.S. Are in a Race for AI Supremacy

- The Man Leading Trump’s AI Charge Against China

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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In China, humanoid robots are on the rise. Robots with heads and torsos have been spotted staffing the front desk at hotels, working factory floors, and serving lattes. It's all thanks to an investment boom and subsidies from the Chinese government, which is betting on "embodied AI" as the next frontier in a global arms race. WSJ's Yoko Kubota explains how China's robots got so good, and what the US is doing to catch up. Ryan Knutson hosts.

Further Listening:


- China and the U.S. Are in a Race for AI Supremacy

- The Man Leading Trump’s AI Charge Against China

Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2026-04-29 20 min
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