On November 17, 2023, Georgian-language Facebook pages (1, 2, 3, 4) and accounts (1, 2) published posts claiming that the first humanoid robots had appeared in London. According to the description of some of the posts, the humanoid robots have been spotted on city streets and in subway stations, adding that robots with artificial intelligence are working in one of the coffee shops. According to the disseminated information, they work smoothly, which significantly reduces service time. The posts are accompanied by a video showing the humanoid robots.
The disseminated information contains video manipulation elements and is misleading. In fact, the video is a commercial for a new movie, which actually shows people wearing make-up and special costumes.
All four “robots” shown in the video are actually real people. They are actors who try to look like robots with special costumes, make-up and mannerisms. This campaign served to promote the September 2023 release of the movie, The Creator, which was filmed by 20th Century Studios, a film studio owned by “Disney.” By observing the footage, it can be seen that the “robots” feature the name of the film on their uniforms.
To verify the video, the fact-checking organization AFP contacted Disney, whose representative confirmed that the “robots” shown in the video are real people.
The photos of the persons shown in the video were published by Disney on its website, where they are dressed exactly as in the video.
The advertising campaign in London for The Creator was not the only commercial. Several similar performances were organized in the United States, where actors dressed as robots participated in various activities. Among them were an American football match and an automobile race in Texas. The well-known international media “Reuters” contacted “Disney” to verify the information about the “robots” attending the American football match, who said that the actors dressed as “robots” are seen in the video and they did not use real humanoid robots in their campaign.
Archive: Radio Tbilisi; Spnews; Rau Li;
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