The Trump administration is banning Chinese robots in an effort to stem national security risks and help the domestic AI industry continue to grow.
The Federal Communications Commission listed imports of new humanoid and quadruped robots from China — along with connected power inverters, which let the devices connect to the US grid — as verboten. They can no longer be imported, marketed or sold in the US.
“Advanced robotic devices collect data that could be leveraged by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots,” the White House said a Tuesday statement.
China produces the vast majority of the world’s humanoid robots – one of the latest flashpoints in the artificial intelligence arms race between Washington and Beijing.
Analysts say China has built a lead in AI consumer applications and AI-enabled hardware thanks to its mass-manufacturing capabilities.
Today, the bots can perform limited basic tasks like greeting customers at a store or simple home chores like folding laundry.
Technologists are racing to improve humanoid robot capabilities, believing that one day the bots will be everywhere in homes, schools, workplaces and factories.
The crackdown stems from a national security determination issued Monday by a White House-convened interagency body, which concluded that internet-connected robots could expose Americans to data privacy and cybersecurity risks.
“Advanced robotic devices collect data that could be leveraged by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots,” the White House said.
In a separate statement, the FCC warned that the machines “could create supply chain vulnerabilities that could disrupt US economic and national security and could create a cybersecurity risk that threatened American critical infrastructure.”
Humanoid robots could become one of the biggest market opportunities in the AI boom, according to Dan Ives, partner and senior managing director at Yorkville Ives.
“This is the golden goose for physical AI,” he told CNBC last month, adding: “We see China as right now the clear leader on this front. The US is playing in catchup mode.”
Chinese bots sold in the US have cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to upwards of $50,000.
The restrictions do not affect robots already on the market and consumers can continue using devices they have already purchased.
Retailers are still allowed to import and sell existing models that have already received FCC authorization, the agency said.
US companies including Elon Musk’s Tesla and numerous startups are racing to develop humanoid robots and are poised to get a boost from the ban on Chinese bots.
Beijing howled over the new restrictions.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning accused the US of abusing national security in order to suppress Chinese companies and said China would “take necessary measures” to protect its interests.
“Protectionism will not enhance US competitiveness; it will only harm the interests of American businesses and consumers,” Mao said during a Wednesday press conference.
Earlier this, month robots under human control and supervision performed surgery on a live patient, successfully completing two laparoscopic gallbladder removals.
Still, the rise of the machines hasn’t come without some embarrassing slip-ups. Just days ago, a school district in upstate New York paused plans to deploy a Canadian-made AI humanoid robot in the classroom after officials, teachers and local residents became outraged over the bots’ ties to a company that produces hyper-realistic sex dolls.
