Humanoid robots capable of handling all our household chores have been a cultural fascination in America for generations. I remember, as a kid, watching a popular cartoon that had a robotic maid as a central character. It was a fun fantasy to engage in 50 years ago. But what about now?
AI has brought us several steps closer to humanoid robots. So we need to ask ourselves the inevitable question: are we ready for that level of home automation? I don’t think we are. In fact, we might never be.
We are pretty comfortable with what the industry currently offers. Companies like Vivint offer a nice selection of highly capable home automation and security devices installed by professionals. That seems to be enough for most people. But things could change.
What We Know as Home Automation Today
Today’s home automation is decidedly more sophisticated than what we had when consumer electronics first emerged. We can do so much more today than we could even 20 years ago. Modern automation is typified by:
- Programmatic Routines – The programmatic routine is the foundation of modern home automation. We program our lights to turn on and off on a schedule. We program our thermostats in order to save on heating and cooling. Some smart devices can even adapt their programming to accommodate daily routines.
- Remote Access – Thanks to the internet and mobile devices, home automation devices are accessible from virtually anywhere. A homeowner can turn security cameras on and off from thousands of miles away. He can override lighting programs and adjust the thermostat without being physically in the house.
- Integration – With the right platform, a homeowner can integrate dozens of devices with his home security equipment in a single platform. This opens the door to creating routines automatically triggered by a single device event.
- Geolocation Capabilities – The geolocation capabilities built into our phones offer the opportunity to integrate home automation with our physical locations. A homeowner’s lights could be turned on or off based on where he is. Just about any home automation device can be tied to location.
It goes without saying that today’s home automation technologies are capable of doing amazing things. But programming lighting to simulate movement throughout a house is a far cry from relying on a humanoid bot to attend to chores.
Where We Stand With Bots Right Now
Engineers have been working on humanoid robots for years. Every once in a while we see a video showing just what these bots are capable of. But prior to the introduction of AI, their abilities were limited to static programming. That is beginning to change.
Last year, a Norwegian technology company known as 1X introduced a humanoid robot they promoted as “the world’s first consumer-ready humanoid robot designed to transform life at home.” 1X went out of its way to point out all the good things its new robot could do. Unsurprisingly, they have not mentioned any of the drawbacks.
While it’s true that the AI-equipped robot can learn how to do household tasks after being properly trained, it is also true that human operators are required for some of the more complex tasks the unit might perform. These operators are located remotely, using handheld controllers and a video link to do what they do.
The danger here is that human controllers have access to just about everything in a customer’s home. They see what the robot sees. They can pick up and handle things via the robot’s hands. The security concerns here are enormous. But even after human intervention is no longer required, security risks remain as long as 1X has access to robot data.
The Potential for Physical Harm
For some of us, the cybersecurity nightmare represented by humanoid robots is too big an ask. But even those who are not worried about security risks still have their own concerns. One of them is potential physical harm.
Let’s face it, all mechanical devices come with some inherent risk. For instance, you would not want to get too close to an automated lawn mower just in case something went wrong. Getting too close could cost you a hand or a foot.
Machines malfunction. Software goes crazy, electronics glitch, and things just break down. The risk of a humanoid robot harming someone is real. The question is one of likelihood. How likely is it that a humanoid robot will glitch and do real damage?
Then There Is the Cost
Don’t care about the cybersecurity risks and the potential for physical harm? Then consider the cost. Right now, 1X’s revolutionary robot comes with a price tag of about $20,000.
And that’s just for the unit itself. You will pay extra for the electricity to power it, the replacement parts when it breaks down, and potentially even surprisingly high AI-driven data costs.
Speaking of AI, data centers can barely keep up with the demand they now face. According to a December 2025 Deloitte report, the amount of power consumed by AI data centers worldwide is expected to jump by 3100% between 2024 and 2035.
That means in just nine short years, AI data centers will be consuming 123GW of the total 176GW of electricity consumed by the data center industry. Meanwhile, we cannot build data centers fast enough to accommodate AI growth.
We also do not have the electricity and water necessary to deal with such rapid growth. So if every home is to be equipped with an AI-powered humanoid robot, we have a lot of infrastructure to build and maintain. I’m not sure it will ever happen. I am not sure the benefits justify the time, energy, and expense.
There Is No Necessity
Necessity is the mother of invention. Right now, the necessity of humanoid robots is debatable. They are more of a luxury than anything else. And if the positives they offer don’t outweigh the negatives, any demand for robotic maids and butlers will be limited. I suspect that will ultimately prove to be the case.
