San José Mineta International Airport has added a robotic customer service representative to its team. Named José, the AI-powered humanoid developed by local startup IntBot says he is there to make travel smoother and more fun.
Capable of speaking more than 50 languages, the robot made its debut as the Terminal Navigations & Human Correspondence specialist on Mar. 24. He will be completing a four-month pilot as part of the airport’s ongoing experimentation with new technologies.
José stands at Terminal B near Gate 24 by the Zoom Zone. There, it greets travellers, answers their questions and gives real-time flight and terminal information.
“Meet the corny aviation-loving robot named after the city he calls home,” said IntBot.
Passengers have responded enthusiastically to the robot thus far. During the first nine days, José recorded nearly 30,000 interactions and averaged more than 3,200 conversations per day. About two-thirds of those talks became social, with people chatting and joking rather than simply asking for directions.
Twenty-six per cent of the exchanges happened in languages other than English. Spanish led at 15 per cent, followed by Chinese, Hindi, Vietnamese, French, Tagalog and Russian.
The most common requests involved flight status and gates (325 mentions), food and drink locations (264 mentions) and nearby restrooms (54 mentions).
IntBot built José with the aim of the robot having strong social intelligence so it can understand human intent and context even in crowded, noisy environments. José had earlier worked at the help desk during NVIDIA’s GTC 2026 conference where it greeted attendees and answered questions.
The pilot began while a partial government shutdown left some TSA lines understaffed during the busy spring break period. The robot has been offering calm directions and helping reduce frustration in the terminal.
San José Mineta International Airport lies just minutes from downtown San José and sits at the edge of Silicon Valley. This variety of AI and tech experimentation is happening in a fitting spot. Humanoid robots now appear more often in customer service roles across California, including hotels, stores and conference centres.
With large crowds expected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at nearby Levi’s Stadium in June, José is poised to see an increasing amount of attention during a short period of his pilot run.
San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) has introduced a humanoid robot concierge Jose.
📍 Stationed in Terminal B.
>Supports communication in over 50 languages, ensuring barrier-free interaction.
>Developed by silicon valley startup IntBot (robot based on the AGIBOT A2… pic.twitter.com/lb8VnyRp0p— CyberRobo (@CyberRobooo) March 28, 2026
Read more: US presses scrutiny of Chinese humanoid robots as competition intensifies
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