The world of technology is changing rapidly and the day is not far when robots will be seen working in place of humans in shops. A unique experiment is about to start in Hong Kong, where a convenience store will be completely run by a humanoid robot. From helping customers to arranging merchandise, the robot will handle all tasks inside the store.
Who is Xiao Gai?
Xiao Gai has been developed by Beijing, China-based AI and robotics company Galbot. This robot, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and with long arms, can easily perform many types of work inside the store. Due to its human-like appearance and advanced AI capabilities, it is capable of interacting with customers and handling various tasks.
China just opened a store run by one robot. But the robot isn’t the story.
Galbot launched a fully autonomous humanoid-operated store in Beijing — 9 square meters, one robot, thousands of customers a day. Greeting people, serving drinks, snacks, even pharmaceuticals. No human… pic.twitter.com/1pYuldynS3— fernando a (@fernandoybus) June 21, 2026
The robot-operated store will be open 24/7
According to media reports, a new 24/7 convenience store is opening in the Waterfront area of Hong Kong. The special thing is that no human employee will be deployed here; The entire store will be managed by a humanoid robot named Xiao Gai.
It is designed as a portable capsule retail outlet and is believed to be the first of its kind in the city.
What tasks will the robot perform in the store?
Xiao Gai will not only welcome customers but also handle the day-to-day operations of the store.
The robot will do several things:
placing and arranging items on shelves
Removing products selected by customers
Helping with the billing and checkout process
Answering customer questions
speaking in multiple languages
In short, the robot will play the role of store manager, sales assistant and cashier all at the same time.
What will customers get?
The store will feature products that meet customers’ everyday needs. There will also be drinks, snacks and some over-the-counter medications available for purchase. The company claims that this unique experience operated by robots can attract a large number of people. It is estimated that this could increase the number of people visiting the area by about 40 percent.
Will robots prove to be completely trustworthy?
There is a lot of excitement around this new initiative, but past examples show that AI and robots do not always perform as expected in real situations. Earlier this year, coffee chain Starbucks shut down an AI-based inventory system it launched in North America after just a few months. According to reports, the system failed to correctly identify many products and faced problems such as mislabelling. As a result, the company had to revert to its traditional working methods.