AI-driven robots today can do a lot of things, but they’re still a long way from replacing people because they struggle to adapt to new conditions, according to experts.
Last month, robotics firm Figure demonstrated humanoid robots doing simple chores like cleaning, while nine straight days of its robots sorting packages fueled debate over how quickly robots might take over jobs.
Oliver Obst, an associate professor of robotics at Australia’s University of New South Wales, told Cointelegraph that highly routine roles, especially physical work in structured settings, are currently the most at risk. He added that office-based administrative and document-related work may be increasingly handled by AI rather than robots.
Worries about AI and robots taking jobs continue to grow as the technology advances. A May report from workforce consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimated that US-based companies cut about 49,135 positions in 2026 due to AI.
Figure’s robots worked continuously for nine days sorting packages. Source: Figure
Obst warned that large-scale adoption of humanoid robots is unlikely in the near future, as they don’t clearly outperform current robotic assembly methods in speed, accuracy or cost.
“Even in fairly controlled settings, they still deal with reliability problems, slower speeds, safety issues, added costs, and trouble recovering from unexpected situations,” he said. “The less predictable the environment, the tougher robotics becomes. Most human jobs involve more variation and judgment than the package-sorting demo.”
“I wouldn’t say we’re at the point where humanoid robots will take over on a large scale. We’re closer to automating certain specific tasks. AI software is advancing faster and already influencing some information-based jobs, but physical robots face a much more difficult challenge.”
In another video from May, a human worker sorted more packages than a team of Figure’s robots, which had to stop and swap out for recharging. Figure CEO Brett Adcock said this was likely the last time “a human will ever win.”
Source: Brett Adock
Humans still hold the edge in some areas
Markus Levin, co-founder of decentralized data network XYO, said AI systems and automation software can carry out repetitive work with greater consistency and without fatigue, but robots still depend on charging, maintenance, and human oversight.
A September report from the International Federation of Robotics showed that global industrial robot demand has doubled over the past ten years, with warehouses and logistics rapidly expanding as key adopters.
“I still believe widespread replacement of humans is likely years away,” Levin said. “There are still big obstacles around reliability, safety, regulations, infrastructure costs, and public trust in deploying robots broadly. The challenge today isn’t just making machines capable, but making sure they can operate safely and consistently as they gain more independence.”
Dr. Francisco Cruz Naranjo, a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales with a PhD in robotics, said whether robots or humans perform better depends heavily on the task and setting.
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“For repetitive jobs, robots have a clear advantage by working without the frequent breaks humans need, as shown in the Figure livestream. But in fast-changing environments, they still find it hard to adjust quickly to new conditions,” he said.
“Humans remain better at this for now. That’s why robots are still most effective in controlled spaces like factories, while household environments remain a much harder challenge.”
Naranjo said jobs that are repetitive but performed in more variable conditions are still vulnerable to automation, but how quickly that happens will depend on advances in research and how prepared society is for “robot-friendly” environments—likely still years off.
Robots in society could bring benefits
Both Naranjo and Obst said that, if rolled out carefully, robots could bring certain advantages, like improving work-life balance, filling labor shortages, and taking on dangerous tasks too risky for people.
“The social side is more complex. If robots make hazardous jobs less costly in human terms, that can be positive. But it can also lead to unexpected consequences,” Obst said. “For instance, reducing risk to military personnel could save lives but may also reduce the perceived cost of conflict.”
“If we succeed in automating almost all types of work, society would have to fundamentally rethink economies that are currently based on wages and employment.”
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