People have been talking about AI agents and AI-powered robots coming for our jobs for a while now, but who would have thought that not even street beggars would be spared? According to multiple news reports, humanoid robots have taken up begging as of late, encroaching on the turf of human beggars.

Hong Kong-based news website HK01 recently reported that multiple humanoid robot beggars have been spotted on the streets of Chinese cities like Beijing, Chengdu, and Fuzhou, suggesting that this is not an isolated thing, but rather an early trend.

Whoever planted the robots made sure they assumed the correct position, either sitting on their knees with their head held low, or crouched in front of their “human overlords” with messages like I have no money to charge my phone” and “Please pay my electricity bill,” as well as QR codes for online payments.

The photos of begging robots quickly went viral in China this week, sparking a heated debate between those who expressed concern about AI taking over every aspect of human life and those who doubted the authenticity of this trend.

Humanoid robots such as Unitree’s G1 and H2 models are some of the most advanced models on the market, but they are not cheap, so using them to beg on the streets doesn’t really make financial sense. If someone were doing it for attention, though, that would be a whole other matter. Some have suggested that these bizarre scenes may be artistic installations designed to make people reflect on the increasingly absurd relationship between humans and AI-powered robots.