By William D. Slicker
In 2024, at a tech expo in Saudi Arabia, a male humanoid robot named Muhammad, who had an Arabic looking face and was dressed in traditional white thawb (robe) and red Keffiyeh (head dress) reached his hand out and touched the rear of a nearby female reporter.[1]
In October, 2026, a humanoid robot in Germany touched the rear of a 16 year old female and then made thrusting movements against her.[2]
In September, 2026, Ukraine was using drones and remote controlled ground vehicles in warfare missions against Russian troops.[3]
The present goal of Ukraine is to have humanoid robots to use on warfare missions within 6 months.[4]
We know that drug cartels are presently using drones for criminal activity, including surveillance of border patrols, carrying drugs, and to bomb rival cartels and prosecutor offices.[5]
Once Ukraine develops humanoid robots capable of warfare, it will only be a matter of time before cartels and other criminals appropriate the technology and begin to use humanoid robots to carry out criminal activity far more dangerous than groping. One can envision rival gangs of humanoids shooting it out in the streets, or easily breaking down the front door of a house for a home invasion.
If a robot commits a crime, who do we punish? How do we know who programmed it? What if the programmer is in Mexico, Russia, or China? Do we need to develop a police force of humanoid robots to fight the criminal humanoid robots?
All of this is coming at us as fast as a humanoid robot can run.
[1] Niemietz, Brian, “Male AI Robot Appears to Grope Female Reporter During Interview at Tech Expo.” New York Daily News (Mar. 8, 2024) https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/08/ai-robot-gropes-female-reporter-deepfest-tech-expo/; Mann, Tyoti, “A Humanoid Robot’s Inappropriate Touching of a Reporter Shows Machines Still Have Much to Learn.” Business Insider (Mar. 14, 2024) https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-humanoid-robot-incident-tech-ai-2024-3.
[2] Niemann, Daniel, “Police Confiscate Robot That Groped 16-year-old Girl, Probe Whether Young Men Were at the Controls.” ABC News (Oct. 13, 2026) https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/police-confiscate-robot-groped-16-year-girl-probe-137235577; Noryskiewicz, Anna, “German Police Seize Homonoid Robot That Allegedly Groped Teen Girl, and Phones of Young Men Who Had It.” CBS News (Oct. 14, 2026) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/germany-robot-teen-girl-sexual-harassment-groping-cologne/.
[3] O’Donnell, Wes, “The Robots Were Cool… But the Big Story of Operation Vivaldi Was How Ukraine Tied Everything Together” Medium (Oct. 4, 2026) https://wesodonnell.medium.com/the-robots-were-cool-but-the-big-story-of-operation-vivaldi-was-how-ukraine-tied-everything-01a476052f8e
[4] Ukraine’s Army of Robots, NDTV (Oct. 2026).
[5] Bradley, Ali and Arnold, Jeff, “Mexican Cartels Using ‘Alarming’ Drone Advances, U.S. Officials Warn.” Newsnation (Sept. 25, 2026) https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-coverage/cartels/mexican-cartels-drone-advances/; Felbab-Brown, Vanda, “How Mexican Cartels Are Using Drones, Now and In The Future.” Brookings (Feb. 19, 2026) https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-mexican-cartels-are-using-drones-now-and-in-the-future/
