Russia held a demonstration of the country’s first humanoid robot wedding at the Pushkin Library in Moscow, designed to publicise its humanoid-robot development capabilities. Two robots made by IT-Imperial, Robert and Matilda, exchanged AI-generated vows and swapped bracelets instead of rings. The event had no legal status. Images spread on social media and revived debate about robot use in education, entertainment and customer service.

Although enthusiasm for humanoid robots is spreading, skepticism about human-shaped designs is growing among some Silicon Valley investors. They argue that robots tailored to specific tasks are more efficient in industrial settings and that humanoids can be more about demonstrations than practicality. Funding is moving to wheeled general-purpose robots and industrial automation. Supporters counter that successful humanoids could target manufacturing, logistics, services and homes, and investment in the sector is rising sharply.