It should concern us all. The explanation is in a new opinion article by experts from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China). The University of California Berkeley (United States) collaborates with them. They highlight a debate between leading researchers and industry experts about whether humanoid robots could replace us at work by 2050. The article is published in 'Science Robotics'.
Varied debate
As technological progress and advances in artificial intelligence (AI) accelerate, humanoid robots are becoming more capable and increasingly realistic. In this article, Hesheng Wang and collaborators from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) analyze it. They reviewed the key points raised in a plenary discussion at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference 2025. It was on Robots and Systems (IROS) and was held in China.
During this session, panelists argued for and against this. The claim that sufficient progress could be made in 25 years for this is still controversial. Would robots really eliminate human jobs? Most experts agreed that significant research will still be needed. Development is needed so that robots can reach human levels of dexterity for fine manipulation. However, there was disagreement over the role that advanced humanoid robots will play in the future.
Some panelists expressed the opinion that robots are expensive. And they lack the social skills and adaptability of humans. They suggested that humanoid robots will boost collaboration and productivity rather than replace the human workforce.
Other possibilities
Experts proposed that robots are job creators. And that increased automation will open opportunities to work with humanoid devices. Others disagreed with the premise that humanoid robots should imitate human capabilities. They proposed that, in the future, robots with artificial intelligence will take over most work tasks. That would free humans to engage in more meaningful activities. And you, do you think humanoid robots could replace us soon?
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