Image by Julien Tromeur, from Unsplash
Beijing’s New Robot Mall Sells Humanoids, Robot Dogs, and Mechanical Chefs
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
A new store in Beijing is giving the public a chance to buy everything from mechanical butlers to human-like replicas of Albert Einstein.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Beijing’s Robot Mall sells over 100 humanoid and consumer-oriented robots.
- Prices range from 2,000 yuan to several million yuan.
- China invests $20 billion in robotics subsidies in the past year.
Robot Mall, which opened on Friday in the Chinese capital, offers more than 100 types of robots for sale. The store stands as China’s first facility that specializes in humanoid robots and consumer robots, as reported by the BBC .
The outlet has been compared to a car dealership, as it provides not only sales but also spare parts and maintenance services.
China has invested heavily in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to address challenges such as slowing economic growth and an ageing population.
“If robots are to enter thousands of households, relying solely on robotics companies is not enough,” said Wang Yifan, a store director, as reported by BBC.
Robots at the store range in price from 2,000 yuan ($278, £207) to several million yuan. Visitors can interact with a wide variety of machines, including robot dogs and chess-playing robots, organisers said.
There is also a section dedicated to replacement parts and robot maintenance. Robot Mall is located next to a themed restaurant where diners are served by robots and meals are prepared by mechanical chefs.
The SCMP reports that the Chinese government has increasingly prioritised the robotics industry, with subsidies topping $20 billion in the past year. It also plans to launch a 1 trillion yuan fund to support AI and robotics start-ups.
The store’s grand opening coincided with the start of the five-day World Robot Conference in Beijing. Finally, the event features more than 1,500 exhibits from over 200 domestic and international robotics companies.
Image by Oberon Copeland, from Unsplash
Wikipedia Tightens Rules To Combat AI-Generated Errors
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Wikipedia is warning readers about AI-generated text, speeding page deletions, and banning AI images in a major push to preserve reliability and trust.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Wikipedia adds warning labels to articles with suspected AI-generated text.
- Editors launched WikiProject AI Cleanup in 2023 to identify AI-written content.
- 5% of new English pages in August 2024 contained AI-generated material.
The warning label “This article may incorporate text from a large language model” appears on hundreds of Wikipedia articles. The Washington Post reports how volunteer editors work to identify and eliminate AI-generated content containing errors, false citations, and misleading data.
“People really, really trust Wikipedia,” said Lucie-Aimée Kaffee, a policy and AI researcher, as reported by The Post. “And that’s something we shouldn’t erode,” Lucie added.
The accuracy of Wikipedia depends on a worldwide network of volunteers who have fought against spam and vandalism since the platform’s inception. Since 2022, AI text generation has simplified the creation of convincing but flawed Wikipedia articles, said Marshall Miller, director of product at the Wikimedia Foundation. “I like to think of it as like an immune system,” Miller said, as reported by The Post.
A Princeton University study found that about 5% of new English Wikipedia pages in August 2024 contained AI-generated text, as reported by The Post. Some were harmless, but others promoted businesses or political agendas. Examples included a hotel described instead of a village, and a fake Ottoman fortress article that stayed online for nearly a year.
To combat this, editors launched WikiProject AI Cleanup in 2023, creating guides to spot AI writing and listing over 500 suspect articles. In August, Wikipedia implemented a new deletion policy to enable quick page removals, particularly those containing visible AI-produced content, or leftover prompts. Additionally, AI-generated images are banned entirely.
“Oh man, I’ve been finding a LOT of AI slop in the submission queue,” one editor complained in June, as reported by The Post.
While the Wikimedia Foundation has explored AI tools to help editors with tasks like translation, Miller stressed: “The way that Wikipedia remains neutral and reliable … is that all this content passes through the hands of people.” Kaffee added: “Asking, ‘Where do we want AI? [ … ] What kind of rules do we want to set for AI-generated knowledge?’ I think is really important.”
