WorkAugust 25, 2026via MIT Technology Review
I spent a day at a robot “carnival” in Shanghai. Here’s what I saw.
Why it matters
A dispatch from Shanghai's robot carnival illustrates China's strategy to embed AI into physical systems as policy priority, signaling where embodied AI deployment is heading—and how differently it's being pursued across regions.
Key signals
- Embodied AI is a key pillar of China's latest five-year plan
- China claims ~90% leadership in humanoid robotics (specific claim incomplete in excerpt)
- Humanoid robots are being positioned for daily-life integration, not just industrial use
- Public carnival format suggests acceleration from pilot to mainstream deployment narrative
- Nearly 90% of world's humanoid robots deployed in China
- Embodied AI is explicit strategic priority in China's five-year plan
- Deployment is framed as bringing AI into 'daily life'—factories, services, infrastructure
- Companies in China are already world leaders in humanoid robotics
- Event-based reporting (carnival/showcase) suggests rapid commercialization, not pilot phase
The hook
China's embodied AI push is moving off the lab bench and into public view. Here's what that deployment moment looks like.
Humanoid robots are having a moment in China. The popular machines are part of the country’s strategy to bring artificial intelligence into daily life. Embedding the technology into physical systems—an idea called embodied AI—was a key facet of China’s latest five-year plan, and companies here are a…