Japan Airlines begins humanoid robot trials at Tokyo's Haneda airport as labor shortages bite

japan airlines started testing humanoid robots for ground operations at tokyo's haneda airport in may, partnering with gmo ai & robotics. the two-year trial covers tasks like baggage loading and cabin cleaning, as the airline faces chronic labor shortages and rising tourism demand. the robots are made by china's unitree, though it's unclear if they're directly involved in the trial. japan airlines said feasibility studies and risk assessments are ongoing. shares of japan airlines rose 3.4% on the first trading day of may but are down about 13% this year. japan's working-age population is projected to decline 31% from 2023 to 2060, per oecd data. barclays estimates the physical ai industry could grow from $2-3 billion today to $1.4 trillion by 2035. but analysts caution the robots aren't very smart yet — "they're just not very smart yet," said counter research's marc einstein.