Are robots nearing their ChatGPT moment?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.2 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2026

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last month at Beijing’s half marathon, a robot named Lightning beat the human world record by nearly seven minutes. It’s the latest in a string of AI-powered milestones that have got people wondering whether robots are about to enter our everyday lives, just as chatbots have. And the country leading the charge is China, where the government has pledged to invest more than £100bn in robotics over the next 20 years. To find out how robots are already entering the workforce, and what needs to happen to get them cleaning our homes and weeding our gardens, Ian Sample hears from the Guardian’s senior China correspondent, Amy Hawkins, and from Nathan Lepora, professor of robotics and AI at Bristol University, who researches how robots can achieve human-like dexterity. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Guardian.
0:11.2	Last month at the London Marathon, Sebastian Sohwe smashed the sub two-hour barrier,
0:17.6	shaving 65 seconds off the previous fastest time.
0:22.6	An historic performance, 159.30, absolutely incredible. I've never seen anything like that.
0:31.3	But it wasn't the only record-breaking race that caught the world's attention in April.
0:37.0	It was human versus humanoid.
0:40.0	More than 100 robots racing against runners Sunday in Beijing.
0:45.7	In Beijing's half marathon, a robot named Lightning beat the human record by a whopping
0:51.9	seven minutes.
0:56.9	It's just the latest in what feels like an acceleration of robotic breakthroughs powered by AI.
1:04.0	And the country racing head of all the others?
1:07.4	Lightning's birthplace.
1:09.7	China.
1:14.9	Yeah. Lightning's birthplace. China. But beyond running really fast, what do we actually want from robots?
1:20.3	What will it take for them to get there?
1:22.7	And are we ready for what happens when they do?
1:28.9	I'm the Guardian science editor, Ian Sampal, and this is Science Weekly.
1:38.7	Amy Hawkins, you're the Guardian's senior China correspondent, and you've been looking into
1:43.8	China's robotics boom.
1:46.2	So, first of all, who is this company behind the half-marathon robot?
1:50.6	Have they been in business for years or are they new?
1:53.5	What's their story?
	...

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