Robot the Best Seller, Never Tired and Never Rude 0 11

In Hong Kong, the first 24-hour store is being prepared for opening, where customers will be served by a humanoid robot. The location will open on the Hung Hom waterfront and will cater to both locals and tourists: the robot will be able to speak with visitors in several languages.

The project was announced by Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan. According to him, the store is intended to demonstrate how AI can work not only in corporate services but also in everyday urban environments: in retail, transportation, public spaces, and daily services.

The store is being developed by a company from mainland China that specializes in robots and autonomous systems with AI. For them, the launch in Hong Kong will be the first project outside the mainland market. Chan linked the choice of the city to Hong Kong's open economy and its role as a platform where new technologies can be showcased to an international audience.

Behind the counter will be a robot nicknamed Xiao Gai. It is expected to greet customers, initiate conversations, assist with product selection, and accompany purchases within a small retail space. The format is closer to a compact self-service capsule with a selling robot than to a traditional neighborhood store.

The capsule covers an area of 9 square meters. The assortment can be tailored to the specific location: snacks, souvenirs, designer goods, and over-the-counter medications can be sold inside. For dense urban development, this format is convenient as it can be placed in tourist areas, on the waterfront, or near busy routes without requiring a large retail space.

The model has already been tested in Beijing. In the Haidian district, the company launched the Galaxy Space Capsule store, which it called the first retail outlet with a humanoid robot operating regularly. According to the developer, the Beijing capsule has been serving about 1,000 customers per day since early August.

The manufacturer claims that installing such stores can increase foot traffic near the location by 30-40%. These figures should be viewed as the company's own estimate rather than independent statistics. For city authorities and retail spaces, the project is interesting because robotic service is seen not only by infrastructure owners but also by ordinary passersby.

Unlike a chatbot on a screen, this AI operates through a physical device. The robot receives data from sensors, observes the surroundings, reacts to visitors, speaks with them, and performs actions in real space. In the store, the AI does not just respond in an app but participates in the sale of goods.

Hong Kong links the store's launch to a broader program for AI development. Chan also announced the creation of a government committee on artificial intelligence. The first meeting is scheduled for June. Authorities want to promote projects that residents and tourists can see without special training.

The company plans to expand the format and release 100 similar capsules in 10 cities. Practical questions remain: how the robot will handle queues, difficult customers, payment failures, restocking, and nighttime operations without a human nearby. The Hong Kong store will serve as a test of whether a humanoid robot is suitable for everyday retail, rather than just for demonstrations at exhibitions.