Robots are protesting for human rights against AI. Yes, it might sound unusual, but around 30 robots in Poland have taken to the streets to raise concerns about AI regulation and the growing threat of automation to human jobs. The unusual protest took place outside Poland’s Digital Affairs Ministry in Warsaw earlier this week, with humanoid robots and robot dogs joining the demonstration and calling for stronger rules around AI.
The protest was staged by an initiative called Democratism, with robots marching in circles, waving flags and broadcasting slogans through loudspeakers. According to the organisers, the demonstration was intended to start a wider debate about how AI and robotisation are affecting the labour market, while also showing that the technology is no longer a distant prospect.
Among those at the demonstration was Agibot A3, an AI-powered humanoid robot and different types of machines, from bipedal humanoid robots to dog-like quadrupeds. Videos from the demonstration, which have been circulating online, show the robots holding flags and signs as loudspeakers played slogans such as “Defend workplaces”, “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate”.
Human organiser Grzegorz Kulis said the protest was intended as a warning about the speed at which AI and robotics are developing. “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 told AFP. “If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” he added, calling for “rules and regulations that would serve as a shield protecting workers”.
Kulis also explained why robots were made the centrepiece of the demonstration. According to him, their presence was meant not only to attract the attention of passers-by, but also to show what the machines can already do and underline the urgency of the issue.
The protest comes at a time when Poland is putting new rules around AI into place as part of the European Union’s wider push to regulate the technology. The EU AI Act, which entered into force in 2024, follows a risk-based approach, with stricter requirements for AI systems considered more likely to cause harm. Most of its rules began applying from August 2026, with enforcement now underway for areas including prohibited AI practices, transparency requirements and general-purpose AI models.
Poland has also passed its own legislation to put the EU rules into practice. In July, President Karol Nawrocki signed the AI systems law, creating a national framework for supervising AI and a new Commission for the Development and Safety of Artificial Intelligence. The body will oversee the application of AI rules in Poland and handle complaints about potentially harmful AI systems.
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