At CES 2026, Boston Dynamics unveiled the latest version of the Atlas humanoid robot that Hyundai will use in its car manufacturing plants. But before the Atlas's capabilities could be tested, the Hyundai Workers' Union in South Korea opposed the company's plan to use Atlas without their consent.
The opposition was given because the use of robots could trigger a "job shock" and reduce reliance on human labor. The labor union also claimed that this was Hyundai's move to increase profits by reducing human labor. Therefore, they insisted that no new robots could enter the workplace without mutual consent.
Hyundai was also accused of moving car manufacturers out of Korea, which would have an impact on workers at two local factories. Hyundai plans to produce 30,000 humanoid robots a year by 2028, which will be used at a factory located in Georgia, USA.
Humanoid robots are predicted to have the same impact on human workers as happened in 1962 when General Motors introduced the first robot use on the automotive factory floor.
Hyundai uses Boston Dynamics robots because they now own them after purchasing them from Google. In addition to Boston Dynamic, the UBTech Walker S2 humanoid robot is also used on factory floors by Airbus, Texas Instrument, BYD and Foxconn.
