China to Trap 12,000 Humans Against Robots in World ‘ s Second AI Marathon Race

Are you a workout skater? AI is coming for your work, also.

China is organizing what could be one of the funniest tribes in history: a half-marathon where 12,000 people will contend against an army of human computers to see who’s the best long-distance skater.

The 21-kilometer culture in Beijing’s Daxing area isn’t just another technology video. More than 20 businesses are bringing their best traveling drones to engage, and they’re playing for real money—the top three finalists get rewards regardless of whether they’re made of flesh or material.

This would be the first moment human robots race a total 21-kilometer course.

Last season, robots were able to add a race without having to finish the whole route.

The Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (E-Town ), which is organizing the event, includes a strict no-wheels policy, and the bots actually need to look human-ish and walk on two legs.

They need to get between 0. 5 and 2 feet tall—so no large mechs or little machine cars will become sneaking in.

One of the first friends is Tiangong, a human that you work 10km/h. The machine, developed by China’s Reflected Synthetic Intelligence Robotics Innovation Center, now showed up at last week’s Yizhuang Half Marathon. But, this will be its second shot at running the entire course.

It even crossed the line alongside some of the fastest people during last year’s third marathon—after joining for the last 100 feet.

It’s no like Americans are focusing on building super fast human computers.

The Tesla Optimus Gen-2 peaks at 8km/h, so it ’s slower than Tiangong, and the Atlas ( built by Boston Dynamics ) is a bit faster at 9km/h.

That said, there might be a valuable contender: The OpenAI-backed 1X NEO, which reaches a theoretical rate of 12km/h.

The publicity around AI and human automation is more current than ever in China.

Local businesses installed 276,288 drones in 2023, accounting for 51 % of global setups, according to the International Federation of Robotics. The industry is projected to reach 400 billion yuan ($ 54. 6 billion ) by 2030.

E-Town’s not only organizing races—it’s presently got drones working at Chinese BYD’s electric car factories.

After this workout, Beijing’s planning another robo-sports showdown in August, featuring anything from track and field to sports. The firm also plans to invest 60 billion renminbi ($ 8. 21 billion ) in AI improvements this month.

Participants  had until February to make up their minds. The workout will take place in Beijing this April, according to the Foreign state.