Seoul, January 23 (IANS). The labor union of South Korea’s auto major Hyundai Motor said on Friday that it will strongly protest against the deployment of physical artificial intelligence (AI) robots in automobile production without prior consultation.
The union clearly stated that until an agreement is reached between the workers and the management, no humanoid robot will be allowed to work in the production line of the factory. According to the report of Yonhap News Agency, this union with about 40 thousand members said this on its website.
The union says that the company’s new humanoid robot ‘Atlas’ has created a stir in the automobile industry. This has increased concerns about the jobs of employees working in Hyundai plants located within the country. This robot was shown at CES 2026 held in Las Vegas in early January.
“The company is clearly attempting to introduce AI robots into production facilities to reduce labor costs. Any deployment without the union’s consent will not be tolerated,” the union said.
Boston Dynamics, a company owned by Hyundai Motor, had publicly demonstrated this human-like robot named ‘Atlas’. This robot has two arms and two legs like a human.
The company has also said that it is planning to build a robot factory in America by 2028, where 30 thousand Atlas robots will be made every year and used in production tasks.
Apart from this, the union has also expressed concern about the impact on jobs in the country due to increase in production abroad. “The two domestic plants are already struggling with production volume shortages as output is being transferred to Hyundai Motor Group MetaPlant America in Georgia,” the union said.
According to the union, the company plans to increase its annual production from one lakh to five lakh vehicles by 2028, which clearly shows that there is a preparation to take a large part of the domestic production abroad.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group said its brands have won multiple honors across different vehicle segments at major automotive awards in the UK and US. The company said that Britain’s ‘What Car?’ Hyundai and Kia have received a total of seven awards in the SUV and electric vehicles categories at the Awards 2026.
–IANS
AS/