About 30 AI-powered machines, ranging from humanoids to dog-like quadrupeds, demonstrated outside Poland’s digital affairs ministry in a protest organised by Democratism, which campaigns for debate over AI’s impact on employment.

“The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality,” humanoid robot Agibot A3 said.

Organiser Grzegorz Kulis said the protest highlighted the potential for AI and robots to replace workers.

“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” he said, calling for “rules and regulations that would serve as a shield protecting workers”.

Digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who visited the protest, said: “Uncontrolled (AI) models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem.”

Poland introduced legislation implementing the EU AI Act in July.