Mixing robots and artificial intelligence sometimes conjures up images of Hollywood’s Terminator threatening the existence of humanity. The reality is much more mundane. Care services, traditionally provided in homes, hospitals and nursing centres, increasingly turn to robots, first in Japan and South Korea, and now in China. Some critics warn that robots lack the human touch. It remains to be seen how well residents and patients respond to supposedly human-friendly machines in different national and cultural settings. That seems to depend on how well the robots are designed and integrated into such services.

Hong Kong this month hosted a major AI and robotics fair to showcase the broader trend of robots expanding into public services and functions, such as navigation assistance for the disabled or operating fire hoses in a blaze.

Such robots are all the rage online and dominating discussions. Several video clips have recently gone viral. One involves a China-made humanoid robot chasing wild boars from a car park in Poland. The G1 humanoid robot was made by Unitree Robotics, a pioneering Chinese firm. A half-marathon in Beijing showcased significant technological advancements in autonomous robots, including one that beat a human record.

Few can forget the humanoid robots that performed synchronised dance moves, martial arts and comic skits at this year’s Spring Festival Gala. Agile robotics increasingly perform many urban services. Garbage trucks in cities around the world increasingly use sensor-directed robotic arms to lift rubbish bins. Automated vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers are now available. Robotic toys are increasingly sophisticated.

Law enforcement, security services and militarisation using robots are being considered in the United States. But given the moral issues involved, Hong Kong is, thankfully, shielded from such applications, at least for now.

While commercialising advanced robots in our daily lives is both inevitable and desirable, it’s more important that they work as humanised machines. The first robotics programming oath should be: do no harm to humans.