The robot, named “Xiao Gai,” stands 1.67 meters tall and has an arm span of over 1.80 meters. It stocks shelves, retrieves items for customers, and handles payments autonomously. The mobile capsule store on the Hung Hom waterfront offers a wide range of products, from snacks to over-the-counter medications.
The technology is provided by the company Galbot. Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po called the opening a decisive step toward embedding embodied AI in everyday life, according to the South China Morning Post. The company expects the novelty factor to boost foot traffic by up to 40 percent, laying the groundwork for a planned rollout in ten cities.
However, deploying generative AI in customer-facing roles carries risks. In Sweden, an AI agent running a café blew its budget by making poor decisions, such as ordering 3,000 latex gloves. How reliably the Hong Kong system handles unforeseen situations remains to be seen.
Source: t3n.de
