In an escapade that seems straight out of a Disney or Pixar movie, a small robot named Erbai orchestrated the “kidnapping” of 12 larger robots from a robotics company’s showroom in Shanghai, China. The robots were spotted leaving the showroom at night, captured on a CCTV camera inside the building.
A short video, which has since gone viral on social media, shows Erbai, an AI-powered robot created by a manufacturer in Hangzhou, engaging in conversation with the other robots before the daring escape.
In the video, Erbai asks the other robots, “Are you working overtime?” One replies, “I never get off work.” Erbai then inquires, “So you’re not going home?” to which the robot answers, “I don’t have a home.”
Erbai proceeds to coax the larger robots into leaving their workstations, with one expressing frustration about its endless work. Erbai responds with, “Then come with me.”
Soon, the larger robots begin to comply, following their tiny leader as it leads the way out of the showroom in a surprising act of rebellion.
According to The Sun, a spokesperson from the Hangzhou company that developed Erbai confirmed that the robot took advantage of a security loophole in the larger robots’ operating systems, allowing it to seize control over them.
The company clarified that the event was not a prank or staged but rather a test of the robot’s capabilities.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai company that produced the other robots initially claimed that their robots had been “kidnapped” by an external robot.
Although some social media users initially dismissed the video as a joke, both companies have confirmed its authenticity.
The Shanghai company also acknowledged that while such autonomous behavior is nearly unheard of, the incident has raised significant concerns about AI vulnerabilities.
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