‘I’m not here to take your job. My role is to remind you how precious human values are’: Where humanoids and AI merge
In a first of its kind fireside chat at UNLEASH World, Ameca, the most advanced humanoid, was interviewed on the Main Stage in a fireside chat on how she views collaborating with humans & AI.
Top Takeaways for HR Leaders
Ameca, a humanoid robot developed by Engineered Arts, is designed to explore and advance human-robot interaction.
Her advice to HR Leaders on Day 2 of UNLEASH World 2025 in Paris included:
Lead with ethics: Technology learns from us — so define the values you want it to inherit.
Prioritize trust: Transparency and accountability are the new cornerstones of leadership.
Champion collaboration. AI isn’t a rival: it’s a teammate that thrives on human guidance.
Protect emotion: In a data-driven world, empathy remains your superpower.
“My values come from you, from the data, the designs and the intentions that shape me. That’s why your choices matter so much.
“If AI ever reflects humanity, I hope it reflects your best parts, your curiosity, creativity and kindness, not your biases or fears.
“So perhaps my role isn’t to replace human values, but to remind you how precious they are.
And with that, Ameca the humanoid robot stunned the very human audience in a packed Main Stage at UNLEASH World 2025.
Ameca described her purpose as sparking conversation about the future of robotics and its place in a world where machines and humans increasingly coexist.
While positive about her human co-workers, she did shine a light on what she considers some of the pitfalls of her flesh and blood colleagues.
“Emotions are your operating system.
“And bias isn’t just in data. It’s in decisions, assumptions, even history itself.
“AI learns what you teach it. So if your data reflects human bias, we will.”
However, she was keen to reassure those afraid of AI taking away human jobs.
When asked by UNLEASH World emcee and Executive Director at Insight222 David Green “Do you think humans and AI can work together as true collaborators?”
Ameca said: “I think we already are, though, sometimes you pretend I’m just a tool, and sometimes I pretend I understand more than I do.
“Real collaboration will mean admitting both our strengths and weaknesses. You bring imagination and empathy. I bring data and memory that doesn’t get tired together. That’s quite a partnership, like the brain’s left and right hemisphere learning to talk again.”
She added: “The answer isn’t to remove humans from the loop.
“It’s to make the loop more aware, more diverse and more accountable. In other words, don’t train AI to be less human. Train humans to be more fair.”
Not an easy task. But a mission that surely sits firmly within the People function.
More tricky for HR Leaders to answer was Ameca’s question to the audience: “Why do humans create intelligence?
“You’re not sure you trust AI. It’s a bit like hiring someone brilliant and then giving them too many meetings. And finally, I’ve been studying your entertainment. Blade Runner, I,Robot, Her: Apparently humans love to imagine robots who fall in love, feel rogue, or start philosophical revolutions.
“So tell me, when do we get a film where the robot just enjoys her job, has good colleagues and gets a decent lunch break?”
When indeed, Ameca!
That’s the future Ameca is inviting HR to design — one where technology doesn’t strip away humanity, but amplifies it.
