In China, flashy humanoids are a sideshow to the real factory automation boom

While videos online regularly showcase humanoid robots completing tasks like running and jumping, concerns are growing across the globe over how the improved robot workforce could soon replace human employees in factories. 

Across factory floors, robots are taking on welding, lifting, scanning, painting, and assembly work involved in making many everyday products. Manufacturers are accelerating robotic investments on the belief that automation can turn out essential goods more quickly, more safely, and at lower cost, from electric vehicles to wind turbine parts.

Here's what to know

According to BBC News, China now has more than two million robots operating in its factories, the highest total of any country. 

The outlet reported the country also manufactures more than half of the world's industrial robots.

Part of that expansion is linked to Chinese President Xi Jinping's roughly $20 billion effort to make China a leading innovator, BBC News reported. At the Hangzhou Technician Institute, students are being taught coding and robotics and are even working on robotic medical instruments, as schools try to prepare future employees for industries that are becoming more automated.

Robots can handle repetitive and dangerous tasks, which can lessen physical strain on workers and allow companies to increase production of widely used goods. In sectors such as EVs, that could eventually lower costs and make cleaner transportation options that reduce tailpipe pollution more available.

However, despite the potential upside, there are growing concerns about individuals who would lose their jobs due to artificial intelligence and robotics. 

"If you are not needed by the world of AI and robotics, then you'll definitely be among those eliminated," Chen Tianyu, a 28-year-old AI and robotics teacher, told the BBC.

More background

Demographics are a major reason China is moving so fast. The BBC cited official estimates saying that by 2035, people over 60 could account for more than one-third of the country's population, while other projections it referenced suggest China may lose nearly 60 million people over the next decade.

That means automation is being framed as something more than a way to raise productivity. It is also being presented as a response to labor shortages before they become even more disruptive.

According to BBC News, in Chengdu, CRP Technology is already customizing robotic arms for the production of cars, electronics, and wind turbines. The company said one robotic arm can be configured to carry out more than 90% of repetitive tasks.

The gains from more efficient manufacturing could reach beyond any single factory. Higher production capacity can help steady supply chains, and greater output of EVs and clean-energy equipment could, over time, support cleaner air and lower operating costs.

But the BBC noted that China's manufacturing sector still employs about 120 million people, so rapid automation could put existing jobs at risk even as it creates new technical opportunities.

What's being done?

China appears to be addressing that challenge in two ways at once: building more robots and training more people to work alongside them, BBC News reported.

Vocational schools are expanding their technical offerings, and some students are reportedly being hired before they graduate. At the same time, businesses are adding automation while keeping human oversight in place rather than removing workers entirely.

At EV maker Leapmotor, for instance, robots help with assembly, but human workers still perform final inspections to help maintain quality and safety, the outlet noted.

Analysts have said China's manufacturing ecosystem gives it a significant advantage. As Dr. Susanne Bieller, general secretary of the International Federation of Robotics, told the BBC, "If you want to build a robot in Shenzhen — there's an entire ecosystem. It takes you less than one hour to source the components you need to make a robot."

"Technology is changing so fast," Chen added. "But we can't just stand still and sleep here. We have to move forward to see what we are capable of doing."

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