Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai's World AI Conference (WAIC) this weekend were embodiments of China's growing AI prowess and ambition.
The annual event is primed at showcasing China's progress in the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence, with the government aiming to position the country as a world leader on both technology and regulation as it snaps at the United States' heels.
Organisers said the forum involved more than 800 companies, showcasing over 3,000 products - the undeniable crowd pleasers being the humanoid robots and their raft of slightly surreal party tricks.
Opening the event on Saturday, Premier Li Qiang announced China would set up a new organisation for cooperation on AI governance, warning the benefits of development must be balanced with the risks.
But in the cavernous expo next door, the mood was more giddy than concerned.
"Demand is currently very strong, whether in terms of data, scenarios, model training, or artificial construction. The overall atmosphere in all these areas is very lively," said Yang Yifan, R&D director at Transwarp, a Shanghai-based AI platform provider.
At one booth, a robot played drums, half a beat out of time, to Queen's We Will Rock You while a man in safety goggles and a security vest hyped up a giggling crowd.
Other droids, some dressed in working overalls or baseball caps, manned assembly lines, played curling with human opponents or sloppily served soft drinks from a dispenser.
While most of the machines on display were still a little jerky, the increasing sophistication year-on-year was clear to see.
The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, an area in which some experts think China might already have the upper hand over the United States.
At Hangzhou-based Unitree's stall, its G1 android - around 130 centimetres (four feet) tall, with a two-hour battery life - kicked, pivoted and punched, keeping its balance with relative fluidity as it shadowboxed around a ring.
Ahead of the conference's opening, Unitree announced it would launch a full-size humanoid, the R1, for under $6,000.
Tech giant Baidu on Saturday announced a new generation of technology for its "digital humans" - AI agents modelled on real people, which it says are "capable of thinking, making decisions, and collaborating".
For now, few visitors to the WAIC expo seemed worried about the potential ramifications of the back-flipping dog robots they were excitedly watching.
"When it comes to China's AI development, we have a comparatively good foundation of data and also a wealth of application scenarios," said Transwarp's Yang. afp
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