Alfamart-Indomaret Employees Could Become Extinct, Replacements Emerge in China

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is sparking concerns over the loss of numerous jobs. AI technology is now deemed capable of performing tasks that have traditionally relied on human labour. A clear example is visible in the US, where Amazon has begun operating robots in its warehouse facilities to handle various work activities. Meanwhile, China already has a robot training centre in Wuhan that trains robots to perform jobs such as making coffee and everyday household tasks. Recently, reports indicated that a Chinese startup has opened a ‘shop’ managed by robots. This innovation could threaten the existence of convenience store employees, such as those at Indomaret and Alfamart in Indonesia. Galbot, a company in the robotics industry, opened a kiosk in Beijing in August 2025 operated by humanoid robots. They describe the kiosk as the “first shop operated by autonomous humanoids.” The humanoid used is the Galbot G-1, a two-armed robot launched by Galbot in June 2024. The robot can move around the kiosk to fetch items and hand them to customers, just like a human employee. “The Galbot G-1 robot manages everything, serving thousands of customers every day. From greeting, serving drinks, snacks, and medicine. Galbot handles every order without remote commands, powered by GroceryVLA and GraspVLA,” the company stated. However, the movements of the Galbot G-1 are still somewhat slow. Its functions are not much different from a vending machine. Galbot stated that similar kiosks will be opened across China. Most recently, Galbot opened a kiosk in a busy area in Beijing, namely the Summer Palace. Galbot CEO Wen Airong revealed ambitions to open 100 stores in 10 cities in China by 2026. To achieve this ambition, he and his team must overcome two challenges: creating more “natural” interactions and increasing operational speed. Robot developers, according to Futurism, are indeed struggling to create voice sensor systems that function smoothly in the real world due to changes in voice volume and differences in accents. Movement issues also pose a major challenge, particularly in creating bipedal robots. To date, according to Futurism, there is no standard design for robot movement using legs.