AS China’s rapid advances in artificial intelligence push humanoid robots closer to everyday use, some leaders of the country’s tech companies say they prefer that regulations be developed alongside development in the field, as there is still a long way for the technology to go before it can fulfil humans’ needs.
“We should design mechanisms and consider risks, but we can start worrying only after the technology has been developed. Otherwise, that day will never come,” said Mr Shen Dou, executive vice president of Chinese tech company Baidu, at a global forum held in Boao, Hainan.
His view — that a “small rapid steps, governance alongside development” approach could be more effective — was shared by his Chinese industry peers at a Boao Forum for Asia panel on humanoid robots on March 25.
They suggested governance frameworks can be refined as the technology advances, as the focus at hand should be on scaling up the technology for commercial viability by making it useful for everyday purposes. But the tech company leaders agree that humans must make the final decisions, not robots.
In the field of advanced robotics, a fundamental question remains: How are the authorities to govern machines trained on human-generated data and increasingly operating alongside people?
On Feb 28, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released its first standard system covering the entire industrial chain and life cycle of humanoid robots and embodied AI, aimed at promoting development through standardised technical requirements and safety protocols.
At Boao, some speakers stressed that more thought must be given to regulation and governance in the development of humanoid robots.
Former New Zealand prime minister Jenny Shipley raised concerns over how data is sourced and used, saying that discussions — including at the panel — often treat data as an abstract concept although it is generated by individuals in their daily lives.
But without a proper licensing or consent process, the use of such data raises an ethical issue, she said. “It’s a question for humanity as to whether we are prepared to have our normal lives… being used to collect data that will be an input to a humanoid robot,” she said.
“I want robotics to flourish, but I want us to do it consciously on the basis that we are not moving beyond what we give consent to occur,” added Ms Shipley. She said that reactions to emerging technologies often reflect a mix of excitement and fear, and that this raises the question about whom such innovations are ultimately meant to serve.
“Fully functional robots are highly efficient and can reduce workplace risks, offering many advantages. But we should not innovate for the sake of innovation. The ultimate purpose should be considered,” she said.
“In everything you do, who is your customer? The individual, corporate or at the national level? That’s why we need clear ethical frameworks,” added Ms Shipley.
Mr Sam Daws, senior adviser at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, said policymakers must balance innovation with safeguards, including in areas such as data use, safety risks and job displacement.
He cited Singapore’s Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI, unveiled in January, as an example of how governance frameworks are evolving. “Singapore’s framework will be useful as we anticipate the effect of a million ‘lobsters’ beginning to interact in the world,” said Mr Daws, who was referring to the open-source AI agent OpenClaw, which has recently gone viral in China.
The speakers were part of a panel at the annual Boao Forum for Asia, a regional platform for economic cooperation founded in 2001, the same year China joined the World Trade Organization.
During the panel, Chinese industry leaders acknowledged the risks that come with increasingly capable robots but struck a pragmatic note, saying that many of these issues can be mitigated through engineering design, gradual deployment and extensive stress tests.
Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2026