Humanoids near a ‘DeepSeek moment.’ Blurring the line with humans

 

“The next wave of robotics is coming—machines that not only look like humans, experts say, but also “think,” make decisions, and perform functions with agility that blurs the line between robot and human.

Today’s humanoids demonstrate complex capabilities, including playing soccer, sewing, baking bread, and interacting with humans. They can operate autonomously. "Humanoid robots will transform the global industrial landscape," the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced, indicating that this is the next stage of technological evolution after computers and smartphones.

China wants to be the leader in the humanoid market

And it is China that is emerging as the leader in the humanoid market today. In 2024, the local market for such machines reached 2.76 billion yuan (378 million dollars).

It is expected that by 2029 it will grow to 75 billion yuan, capturing a third of the global market.

But the breakthrough is to come next year. Experts at the Global Developer Conference 2025 (GDC) predicted that this market will reach its "DeepSeek moment" then (referring to Chinese AI, which in January took the chatbot elite by storm). During the forum organized in Shanghai, the capabilities of humanoids, supported by AI models, were demonstrated by companies such as Agibot, Cyan and Keeper. The EngineAI humanoid performed acrobatics, Unitree demonstrated kung fu skills, and the Kuafu robot conducted interviews.

Thousands of robots to leave factories

Jiang Lei, chief scientist at the National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center, believes that this year a large group of Chinese companies will achieve annual sales exceeding 10,000 humanoids.”