A robot has been spotted begging for cash on its knees in the street.
After apparently hitting rock bot-tom, the humanoid sourced a donation bowl and QR code and placed them next to a sign.
The hard-up bot told passersby that it had “no money to recharge” and “please help with electricity fees”.
The AI beggar was filmed pleading for cash in Sichuan Province, China, last week.
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While no specific individual or company has been publicly identified as carrying out the stunt, the robot was identified as a Unitree G1 humanoid model by Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics, based in Hangzhou.
It followed a widely mocked event at the Beijing Yizhuang half-marathon where over 300 humanoid robots competed in April, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Many collapsed shortly after the start, fell over mid-race, or crashed into barriers – turning the much-hyped showcase into an online meme.
One month previously, Wei Zhejia, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), criticised the current standard of robot technology during a speech at Asia University.
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The CEO said that Chinese robots “jump around, bounce about” and are generally “just for show” and little else.
He noted that up to 95% of the ‘brain’ – the core computing chips – in such robots relies on Taiwanese semiconductors.
Industry analysts described Wei’s assessment as “already very polite”, noting that Chinese robots largely remain at the entertainment or demonstration stage rather than offering genuine practical utility.
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The footage, which emerged this week, went viral on Chinese social networks.
Many users questioned whether the begging robot videos are genuine or staged for satire, reflecting on the clash between AI hype and growing economic pressures.
One local joked that “even beggars are being replaced”.
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