Hyundai’s Humanoid Robot Atlas (Image courtesy of Hyundai Motor)
SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — As Hyundai Motor Group moves toward introducing advanced humanoid robots into its operations, a senior robotics executive on Thursday called for measured debate and institutional readiness, arguing that people — not technology alone — will determine how automation reshapes society.
“Industries evolve, but what matters more than the technology itself are the people who operate it, understand it and build the systems around it,” Hyun Dong-jin, head of Hyundai and Kia’s Robotics Lab, said at the Korea CEO Forum in Seoul.
His remarks come amid growing attention to the group’s plan to adopt the humanoid robot Atlas, fueling speculation about potential disruptions to the labor market. Mr. Hyun emphasized that full human replacement by robots remains distant and would require not only engineering breakthroughs but also broad social consensus.
“There is still time,” he said, adding that society should focus less on dystopian scenarios and more on how technology can address social challenges and foster what he described as a “warm, technology-based society.”
Tracing the evolution of artificial intelligence from large language models to vision-language models and most recently vision-language-action systems, Mr. Hyun noted that physical automation lags behind advances in cognitive AI. “Because vision-language-action systems are technologically the furthest behind, automation of physical labor will come last,” he said.
He highlighted the lab’s development of dual-arm robots designed not to replace workers but to take on tasks that may cause occupational illnesses.
At the same time, Mr. Hyun acknowledged intensifying competition from China, where robotics firms benefit from strong government support and vast domestic markets that allow rapid product optimization. “China is emerging as a leader in physical AI,” he said, warning that South Korea must remain vigilant. Invoking Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s legendary naval campaign with just 12 ships, he pledged to compete with similar resolve.
Commercial success in robotics, he added, will hinge on functionality and affordability. Companies must manage quality, maintenance and after-sales service while standardizing and modularizing components to bring prices within reach of consumers.
Hyundai and Kia’s Robotics Lab last year unveiled a mass-production model of its autonomous mobility robot platform, MobED, and in 2024 introduced the industrial wearable robot X-ble Shoulder — early steps in what executives see as a long-term transformation of mobility and manufacturing.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
