Move Over, Humans. China's Robots Are Taking Over

Move Over, Humans. China's Robots Are Taking Over

From The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

April 29, 2026 · 20 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the rise of humanoid robots in China and the implications for global AI competition.

In China, humanoid robots are on the rise. Robots with heads and torsos have been spotted staffing the front desk at hotels, working factory floors, and serving lattes. It's all thanks to an investment boom and subsidies from the Chinese government, which is betting on "embodied AI" as the next frontier in a global arms race. WSJ's Yoko Kubota explains how China's robots got so good, and what the US is doing to catch up. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: - China and the U.S. Are in a Race for AI Supremacy - The Man Leading Trump’s AI Charge Against China Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Ryan Knutson

Guest: Yoko Kubota

Topics covered

  • humanoid robots
  • China
  • AI technology
  • investment boom
  • global arms race
  • embodied AI

Keywords

  • robots
  • China
  • AI
  • investment
  • technology
  • humanoid
  • global competition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Wall Street Journal, Spotify Studios

Places: China, U.S.

More episodes of The Journal.

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Journal. podcast page.