Hyundai Motor Company’s plan to launch humanoid robots by 2028 is not part of talks with South Korea’s striking auto workers.
The automaker denies the reports partial labor strikes Concerns have been raised by the Hyundai Motor union at the world’s largest car plant in South Korea over the company’s plans to deploy humanoid robots in the United States starting in 2028. A company statement shared with Ars described the union’s demands as focusing on compensation-related issues such as higher wages, increased employee benefits and an extension of the workers’ retirement age.
“The potential deployment of robots in Korean manufacturing facilities is not part of current labor-management discussions,” Hyundai said in a statement. “Hyundai Motor Company remains committed to a constructive relationship with the union and to reaching an agreement that supports the long-term interests of both employees and the company.”
Hyundai emphasized that its current plan only includes the initial deployment of the Atlas humanoid robot starting in 2028 at Metaplant America, an electric vehicle factory near Savannah, Georgia. “Future decisions regarding the deployment of Atlas at other facilities will be made in a deliberate manner based on local operational needs and will be based on dialogue with company employees and company representatives.”
However, The Wall Street Journal Hyundai Motor described the union as “unprecedented demands seeking to strengthen job security in the era of robots and artificial intelligence” and characterized certain compensation claims as a hedge against potential reductions in working hours due to the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotic automation.
In January, the alliance alerted Hyundai Motor Company to the need for talks after the automaker showed off a production model of the Atlas humanoid robot at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The “Atlas” robot was developed by the US company “Boston Dynamics”, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai.
“Remember that no robot using new technology will be allowed into the workplace without a labor-management agreement,” the union said in an internal letter to Hyundai. This was reported by Reuters.
Hyundai management and the union are currently considering a proposed wage reform that would “provide factory workers with greater income stability even after the automaker plans to deploy humanoid robots.” The Korea Times informed. But experts have warned that the wage overhaul, which would replace hourly payments for overtime and night shift benefits with flat wages, could come at the expense of company productivity.
