AI-Powered Robot Dances for Putin Days After Another Russian Robot Falls

At a technology exhibition hosted by Sberbank, President Vladimir Putin watched a humanoid robot named Green perform a dance and introduce itself as “the first Russian humanoid with embedded artificial intelligence.” The robot told Putin it wasn’t just software, but a physical symbol of Russia’s AI ambition, before moving to its favorite song. Putin praised the performance as “very beautiful,” while his bodyguards stood guard to ensure the robot didn’t get too close.

Green’s developers said its software will continue to be upgraded and that the robot could one day carry out real tasks within Sberbank’s operations. The event was broadcast on state television, underlining how deeply symbolic the demonstration was for Russia’s technological narrative.

The showcase came only days after another domestic AI robot, AIdol, made headlines for a very different reason — it stumbled and fell flat on its face during a separate Moscow presentation. That incident highlighted early challenges in Russia’s race to build advanced humanoid machines.

Analysis / Impact:
The contrast is stark: on one side, a sleek, dancing robot showing off technical polish and forward-looking vision; on the other, a highly anticipated AI humanoid still struggling with balance and control. The episode underlines how robotics — especially in Russia — is still very much a work in progress, with energy, showmanship and real engineering tension all playing out publicly.

For Putin, Green’s performance is no mere gimmick. It sends a message that Russia is serious about competing in high-tech, AI-driven domains. There’s a clear effort to blend national prestige with technological capability — positioning AI not just as a tool, but a symbol of progress.

Yet, the stumble by AIdol is a reminder that the path to sophisticated robotics is rarely smooth. Technical setbacks are inevitable, and making a robot that can walk, dance and perform reliably under real-world conditions is one of the hardest engineering challenges.

In a broader sense, this episode illustrates just how much politics and technology are intertwined in Russia’s AI ambitions. The performance is as much about optics and state pride as it is about functional capability — and for a global audience, it’s a fascinating glimpse into how robotics could become not just a field of innovation, but a stage for power and image.