China says humanoid robot buzz carries bubble risk / Photo: Jade GAO - AFP
-
Kenya's economy faces climate change risks: World Bank
-
Stocks, dollar rise before key US inflation data
-
After wins abroad, Syria leader must gain trust at home
-
Markets rise ahead of US data, expected Fed rate cut
-
German factory orders rise more than expected
-
Flooding kills two as Vietnam hit by dozens of landslides
-
Italy to open Europe's first marine sanctuary for dolphins
-
Hong Kong university suspends student union after calls for fire justice
-
Asian markets rise ahead of US data, expected Fed rate cut
-
Georgia's street dogs stir affection, fear, national debate
-
Pandas and ping-pong: Macron ending China visit on lighter note
-
TikTok to comply with 'upsetting' Australian under-16 ban
-
Pentagon endorses Australia submarine pact
-
Softbank's Son says super AI could make humans like fish, win Nobel Prize
-
OpenAI strikes deal on US$4.6 bn AI centre in Australia
-
Rains hamper Sri Lanka cleanup after deadly floods
-
Unchecked mining waste taints DR Congo communities
-
Asian markets mixed ahead of US data, expected Fed rate cut
-
French almond makers revive traditions to counter US dominance
-
Aid cuts causing 'tragic' rise in child deaths, Bill Gates tells AFP
-
Abortion in Afghanistan: 'My mother crushed my stomach with a stone'
-
Mixed day for US equities as Japan's Nikkei rallies
-
To counter climate denial, UN scientists must be 'clear' about human role: IPCC chief
-
Facebook 'supreme court' admits 'frustrations' in 5 years of work
-
South Africa says wants equal treatment, after US G20 exclusion
-
One in three French Muslims say suffer discrimination: report
-
Microsoft faces complaint in EU over Israeli surveillance data
-
Milan-Cortina organisers rush to ready venues as Olympic flame arrives in Italy
-
Truth commission urges Finland to rectify Sami injustices
-
Stocks rise eyeing series of US rate cuts
-
Italy sweatshop probe snares more luxury brands
-
EU hits Meta with antitrust probe over WhatsApp AI features
-
Russia's Putin heads to India for defence, trade talks
-
South Africa telecoms giant Vodacom to take control of Kenya's Safaricom
-
Markets mixed as traders struggle to hold Fed cut rally
-
Asian markets mixed as traders struggle to hold Fed cut rally
-
In Turkey, ancient carved faces shed new light on Neolithic society
-
Asian markets stumble as traders struggle to hold Fed cut rally
-
Nintendo launches long-awaited 'Metroid Prime 4' sci-fi blaster
-
Trump scraps Biden's fuel-economy standards, sparking climate outcry
-
US stocks rise as weak jobs data boosts rate cut odds
-
Poor hiring data points to US economic weakness
-
Germany to host 2029 women's Euros
-
Satellite surge threatens space telescopes, astronomers warn
-
Greek govt warns farmers not to escalate subsidy protest
-
EU agrees deal to ban Russian gas by end of 2027
-
Former king's memoirs hits bookstores in Spain
-
German lithium project moves ahead in boost for Europe's EV sector
-
Stock markets mostly rise awaiting US data
-
Norway postpones deep-sea mining activities for four years
NYSE - LSE
China says humanoid robot buzz carries bubble risk
More than 150 Chinese companies are making humanoid robots but a market bubble risks forming in the rapidly growing futuristic industry, a Beijing official has warned.
Government support and strong supply chains are helping Chinese firms push ahead in the race to develop AI-powered robots that could one day help perform everyday tasks.
But the sector risks overcapacity as production scales up quickly without actual orders, Goldman Sachs warned recently.
And on Thursday Chinese official Li Chao told a National Development and Reform Commission briefing on Thursday: "'Speed' and 'bubble' have always been issues that need grasping and balance in the development of frontier industries."
She added that "the same goes for the humanoid robot industry", in answer to a question about the bubble concerns.
It mirrors wider fears of a market crash fuelled by frenzied investment in artificial intelligence technology worldwide.
"In recent years, driven by innovation and increased demand, humanoid robotics representing the scale of the embodied intelligence industry is seeing explosive growth," Li said Thursday.
But the sector is not yet mature in terms of technology, commercialisation or use, she cautioned.
More than half of China's 150 humanoid robot companies -- a figure still increasing -- are "startups or 'cross-industry' entrants, which is a good thing for innovation", Li said.
"But we must also be vigilant in preventing products that are highly repetitive from 'gathering' in the market, squeezing research and development space and other risks."
An April report published by Leaderobot, a specialist consulting firm, predicted that China's humanoid robotics industry would reach 82 billion yuan ($11.6 billion) in 2025, accounting for half of global sales.
Large-scale real-life use cases remain elusive, but ambitious trials have grabbed headlines.
A robot made by Shanghai's AgiBot set a Guinness World Record this month for the longest reported distance ever walked by a humanoid machine, having completed a three-day, 100-kilometre (62-mile) trek.
Beijing also hosted the world's first-ever humanoid robot games in August, where more than 500 "athletes" vied in disciplines ranging from basketball to competitive cleaning.
M.Anderson--CPN