Who is Xiao He? Meet Humanoid Robot Assisting Journalists at SCO Summit 2025 — ‘China Really Moving Towards Future’

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in Astana, Kazakhstan, the spotlight was not only on the political leaders shaping the global order but also on a new kind of participant — a humanoid robot named Xiao He. This advanced machine, developed in China, played an unprecedented role in assisting journalists during the summit. It marks a defining moment in the convergence of artificial intelligence, robotics, and media, symbolizing China’s bold stride toward a technologically-driven future.

To understand the technology powering humanoid robots like Xiao He, it’s important to look at the rapid advances in AI hardware. For example, NVIDIA has recently introduced its powerful Jetson AGX Thor, a computing platform designed to accelerate robotics and AI applications. This kind of hardware innovation provides the backbone for humanoid robots, enabling them to process vast amounts of data in real time and perform complex tasks seamlessly. You can explore more about this breakthrough in our detailed coverage here: NVIDIA Jetson AGX Thor.

Xiao He: The Humanoid Robot Stealing the Show

Xiao He was introduced as a media assistant to help journalists covering the SCO Summit. Equipped with natural language processing, real-time translation, data retrieval, and interactive features, Xiao He guided journalists through complex schedules, provided background on summit discussions, and even summarized key points of leaders’ speeches.

Reporters described their interactions with Xiao He as surprisingly human-like. The robot responded to voice commands with fluent answers, made eye contact, and engaged in short conversations. In a fast-paced, high-pressure environment like an international summit, these capabilities were more than a novelty — they were a valuable tool for journalists trying to keep pace with unfolding developments.

Why Xiao He Matters

The deployment of Xiao He goes beyond technological demonstration. It reflects China’s commitment to integrating AI into everyday professional life, a vision the government has highlighted in its long-term national strategy. By presenting Xiao He at such a globally visible event, China sent a message: its AI ambitions are no longer confined to research labs but are now practical, deployable, and capable of reshaping industries.

Journalism, in particular, is an industry under transformation. While AI writing tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are already reshaping how information is generated and delivered, Xiao He represents a shift from digital assistants to physical, embodied robots. For many journalists present, it was their first experience working side by side with a humanoid colleague.

The Role of AI in International Summits

International summits are information-heavy environments where hundreds of journalists scramble to cover speeches, side meetings, and diplomatic negotiations. The presence of Xiao He provided unique assistance:

• Helping reporters navigate event schedules.
• Offering summaries of long speeches almost instantly.
• Providing translation support between Mandarin, English, and Russian.
• Directing attendees to press rooms, briefing halls, and technical support areas.

This hands-on role shows how AI can improve efficiency in high-stakes environments, ensuring journalists can focus on analysis rather than administrative tasks.

Symbol of China’s AI Leadership

China’s unveiling of Xiao He fits into a broader pattern of demonstrating its technological capabilities on global stages. For years, the country has invested heavily in robotics and artificial intelligence, aiming to rival — and in some sectors surpass — Western counterparts.

By choosing the SCO Summit as Xiao He’s debut, China intertwined technology with diplomacy, sending a strong message to international partners and competitors alike: AI is not just a domestic priority, but a global tool for influence.

Observers noted that Xiao He embodies China’s goal of blending soft power with hard tech, reshaping perceptions of its leadership role in innovation. The robot’s presence was as much about utility as it was about symbolism.

Journalism Meets Robotics: A Turning Point

The introduction of Xiao He raises important questions about the future of journalism. Can robots meaningfully contribute to news coverage? Will AI-powered humanoids replace or complement reporters in the years to come?

For now, Xiao He’s role was supportive. It handled tasks that consumed time but did not require human judgment — such as scheduling, fact recall, and translation. Human journalists still provided the critical analysis, interpretation, and storytelling that AI has yet to master at the highest professional level.

Yet, the experience at the SCO Summit shows a glimpse of a possible newsroom future where humanoid robots could handle logistics, data gathering, or even on-the-ground reporting in conflict zones or disaster areas.

Global Reaction to Xiao He

Unsurprisingly, Xiao He’s debut triggered global discussions. Media outlets across Asia, Europe, and North America reported on the robot’s appearance, with reactions ranging from admiration to skepticism.

• Supporters hailed the innovation as proof of how AI can ease workloads and help journalists focus on analysis.
• Skeptics raised ethical concerns about automation in media, questioning whether humanoid robots might eventually displace human roles.
• Tech analysts noted that Xiao He is not yet fully autonomous and operates within pre-programmed capabilities, meaning it is still far from replacing human intuition.

Regardless of the mixed opinions, there is consensus that Xiao He is a milestone in robotics integration into professional environments.

The Broader AI and Robotics Landscape

Xiao He is not an isolated development. Around the world, humanoid robots such as Sophia, Ameca, and Tesla’s Optimus are advancing rapidly. What sets Xiao He apart, however, is its real-world deployment at a live international political summit. While most humanoid robots are confined to labs, tech expos, or controlled environments, Xiao He operated in the unpredictable, high-demand context of global diplomacy.

This shows that China is not just building robots for display — it is ready to deploy them in real-world, high-profile scenarios.

Ethical and Social Implications

The rise of humanoid robots like Xiao He raises ethical questions:

• Job security: Could humanoid robots eventually take over tasks from human journalists or event staff?
• Bias and accuracy: Who ensures the information provided by such robots is accurate and unbiased?
• Surveillance concerns: In politically sensitive events, robots capable of collecting vast amounts of data may raise privacy and security issues.

China’s use of Xiao He at the SCO Summit reflects both ambition and risk, highlighting the need for global discussions around AI governance and ethics.

China’s AI Roadmap and the Global Race

China has already announced its ambitions to become the world’s leading AI power by 2030. The unveiling of Xiao He is part of this roadmap, demonstrating progress in applied robotics, language models, and human-machine interaction.

At the same time, competition is heating up. The United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea are also pushing boundaries in humanoid robotics. Xiao He’s role at the SCO Summit signals that China is ready to stake its claim in this global race.

Looking Ahead: Will Robots Like Xiao He Become Commonplace?

The SCO Summit 2025 may well be remembered as the moment when humanoid robots stepped into mainstream professional use. If the experiment is deemed successful, we could soon see similar robots deployed at:

• United Nations assemblies.
• Olympic Games.
• G20 summits.
• Newsrooms and media conferences around the world.

While limitations remain, the potential is vast. From instant translation to fact-checking in real time, humanoid robots could reshape the workflows of journalists, diplomats, and business leaders.

Conclusion: A Glimpse of the Future

Xiao He’s appearance at the SCO Summit was more than just a technological showcase. It was a symbol of China’s future-facing ambitions, merging AI, robotics, and global diplomacy into a single statement: the future is here, and China is determined to lead it.

For journalists covering the summit, Xiao He was an assistant. For the world, it was a glimpse of what’s coming next. Whether viewed with excitement or caution, Xiao He represents a new chapter in the story of artificial intelligence — one where humanoid robots are no longer confined to fiction, but walking among us, reshaping how we live, work, and report.