A viral video has shown some hauntingly dystopian scenes, as a robot allegedly 'went berserk' while being worked on by two members of staff in a Chinese factory.
Well, my friends, it seems as if the time has finally come. All those requests asking AI to write a basic email or check the weather have seemingly led to this. The inevitable collapse of society as the robots take over for good.
I hope you've been saying please and thank you when you've been churning out your school essays or settling debates with mates using AI, because these computers will remember everything, even if it does cost the company millions simply because you remember your manners.
Unitree Robotics is a tech company based in China and while it specialises in quadrupedal robots, it has branched out into selling humanoid versions. They are available for as little as $16,000 (£12,000) - a small price to pay if you fancy emulating Will Smith and fighting them off.
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Maybe that's a slight overreaction given the video allegedly captures the outburst of just one Unitree robot, however, it could have very easily injured the two workers seen nearby.
It's not clear why the robot reacted like this, some claim it may have lost its sense of balance, while others suspect it was down to a software error.
According to TechSpot, this isn't the first time one of the robots has acted out of 'character' however, with security forced to intervene during the Tianjin Winter Gala Festival in February, when a Unitree H1 suddenly lurched towards a spectator who had extended their hand.
Just in case you thought you'd be fine running away if one of these things ever did come for you, then I have bad news, as the bot looks capable of running at a decent speed of 3.3 metres per second. For context, Usain Bolt's world-record 100m time was completed at around 10.44 metres per second. So if you're as fast as the Jamaican, you'll be fine.
On its website, Unitree Robotics says: "Possessing a stable gait and highly flexible movement capabilities, it is able to walk and run autonomously in complex terrains and environments."
The robot also has pretty impressive vision, with as it is 'equipped with 3D LiDAR + depth camera, real-time acquisition of high-precision spatial data to achieve panoramic scanning', which isn't doing The Terminator comparisons any favours.
While many of us are concerned about how robots could steal our jobs in the future, these sorts of actions would surely be a sackable offence, so maybe we don't have too much to worry about.
LADbible has contacted Unitree for comment.
Topics: AI, Technology, China
James Moorhouse