Could humanoid robots replace people on the battlefield?
Compared with risking human lives — and with all the political backlash and risks of stress-induced war crimes and trauma — humanoid soldiers offer a more resilient, restrained, and precise alternative. Robots do not suffer from fatigue or fear and can operate continuously in extreme conditions while immune from radiation, chemicals, or biological agents.
But the counterargument is chilling: humanoid soldiers have lower political and ethical barriers to initiating conflict, blur responsibility for any abuses, and further dehumanize warfare. In the latest episode of AI, Explained by Humans, TIME editor-at-large Charlie Campbell visited a company making these robots to see the war technology they're selling to governments around the world and interviewed experts on the potential implications. Read the full story here: time.com/article/2026/03/09/ai-robots-sold...