Around 30 robots marched through Warsaw on Monday, waving flags and broadcasting slogans as part of an unusual demonstration calling on Poland’s government to strengthen rules governing artificial intelligence and automation.
The robots gathered outside Poland’s digital affairs ministry as organisers warned that rapid advances in AI and robotics could put jobs at risk if governments fail to act.
The demonstration was organised by Democratism, an initiative focused on raising public debate about the impact of AI and robotisation on employment. The machines included humanoid robots and four-legged models, which marched in circles while loudspeakers played messages including “Defend workplaces”, “Time for rules” and “Don’t wait, regulate”.
One of the humanoid robots, Agibot A3, even responded to questions from journalists during the event.
“The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality,” it said.
Grzegorz Kuliś, the human organiser behind the protest, said the demonstration was intended to highlight concerns about people being replaced by robots in physical jobs and by AI in professional and cognitive work.
“If we don’t react now, we may soon have a problem,” Kuliś said, calling for regulations that could protect workers from the effects of rapid technological change.
He said using robots in the protest was also intended to demonstrate how advanced the technology had become.
The demonstration attracted attention from people passing through the area and also drew Poland’s Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski to the scene. Gawkowski spoke with Kuliś and acknowledged concerns about the development of increasingly autonomous AI systems.
“Uncontrolled models, implemented into humanoids that will also keep evolving as robotisation moves forward, are a major problem,” the minister said.
Kuliś said the organisers wanted to raise public awareness rather than oppose technological development itself. He described Democratism as a movement that could eventually expand beyond Poland and encourage wider discussions about the social and economic effects of automation.
The protest also carried an unusual connection between its message and the technology on display. Local reports said the robots were produced by Delta Robots, a Polish company that has manufactured humanoid and quadruped machines for more than a decade. Kuliś is also president of recruitment company Weegree, which is based in the same southern Polish city of Opole.
Gawkowski said Poland was the first EU country to establish oversight of the AI market and announced plans for a Commission for the Development and Security of Artificial Intelligence. The government also intends to create regulatory sandboxes where companies can test AI systems before wider deployment.
In July, Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed legislation implementing the EU AI Act in national law. The legislation created a national authority responsible for enforcing the bloc’s existing AI regulations.
The Warsaw protest highlighted a growing debate across Europe over how governments can encourage technological progress while protecting workers from the risks posed by increasingly capable AI and robotic systems.
