Recent statements made by the top dog at Chinese tech company Xiaomi Corp (OTCMKTS: XIACF) (FRA: 3CP) have raised concerns about robots replacing jobs held by people in many of the world’s factory settings.
In an interview with Beijing Daily in late November, Lei Jun said that the next five years would bring about a major and rapidly accelerating AI-powered change. For Xiaomi specifically, humanoid robots will become widely deployed throughout the company’s factories for multiple purposes during that time period, he specified. They will be particularly useful for monotonous tasks and those that require extreme precision.
Workers composed of flesh and blood will continue to be essential for tasks that demand creativity, line design decisions, capacity planning, production technology choices, financial management and other more technical determinations.
“This is only the first step,” the tech corporation’s leader stated.
Jun also believes that humanoid robots will become highly demanded in household settings within the coming years. He says this market could be even larger than the factory niche.
Jun gave an example of how artificial intelligence was already streamlining operations for Xiaomi. At its electric car factory, inspections on large die-cast components can now be completed with an AI-integrated X-ray system in a matter of seconds with much greater accuracy. This task used to take human workers 10 times as long.
Read more: Spectacular humanoid robot video from UBTECH Robotics attracts skepticism
Xiaomi is no stranger to robot development
Since its first appearance in Beijing in 2022, the major technology outfit has been fine-tuning its CyberOne humanoid robot. CyberOne is still in the prototype phase and no commercial release date has been set.
Additionally, the tech developer has created a quadruped ‘CyberDog‘ robot. It can be used for security patrol and warehouse inspection applications and is also capable of skateboarding and doing backflips. The extent that Xiaomi plans to rely on its own creations in future years is uncertain.
Last week, Xiaomi reportedly hired former Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) Optimus engineer Zach Lu Zeyu to assist with development of robotic dexterity and manipulation systems.
There are at least 80 humanoid robotics companies operating throughout China, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Chinese cities have been hosting competitions with these robotic creations that include everything from kickboxing to folding laundry and completing obstacle courses.
Lei Jun said: In the next five years, humanoid robots will be widely deployed in Xiaomi factories. https://t.co/V8p5nvFBx3 pic.twitter.com/VUzcEDFuZU
— Tuo Liu (@Robo_Tuo) November 28, 2025
Read more: MIT determines that AI could already replace 11.7% of American workers
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