Why people attack robots and whether AI fears are to blame

A man in Munich’s Westend district kicked over a robot, which got back up and chased him, BR reports. The incident is part of a wider pattern of people targeting robots, though researchers have not established whether growing scepticism about artificial intelligence is driving the attacks.

The robot, called Robot Westend, is about 1.2 metres tall and has been walking around the Munich district since August. Dressed in lederhosen, a traditional shirt and a hunter’s hat, it has become a local celebrity, attracting children who want to play and adults taking selfies.

A video circulating on Instagram shows a man kicking the machine over. It stands back up and follows him. The video does not show how the chase ends. The robot is remotely controlled by its owner; it does not have an independently acting AI. Its walks are intended to help people feel less afraid of robots.

Curiosity and bullying

Researchers have studied what is known as robot abuse. In one study, Japanese researchers observed children insulting a robot in a shopping centre, blocking its path, kicking it and hitting it. In follow-up interviews, many said they were curious about how the machine would react or enjoyed teasing it. Some believed it could sense the attacks.

Such behaviour can resemble bullying rather than simple vandalism: people crowd robots, shove them or deliberately block their way. Researchers say people may know that a machine is made of plastic and electronic components, yet interpret its movements as signs of life. A 2025 study found that whether people felt sympathy for a robot depended mainly on its appearance and how cruelly it was treated.

Could AI scepticism play a part?

Public attitudes towards AI may also be changing. The Pew Research Center found that 52 per cent of Americans in 2026 felt more concern than excitement about AI, up from 37 per cent five years earlier. In Germany, 69 per cent of respondents in a Bitkom survey in spring 2026 viewed AI more as an opportunity, five percentage points fewer than the previous year.

Robots may become targets for wider anxieties, including fears about jobs, loss of control and the dominance of technology companies. But there is not yet clear scientific evidence that growing scepticism about AI directly leads to more violence against robots.