The South Korean automaker showcased the Atlas humanoid robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Monday, BBC reported.
Hyundai aims to incorporate Atlas across its global operations, including a facility in Georgia that was the site of a significant immigration raid in 2025. Other companies, including Amazon, Tesla, and Chinese car manufacturer BYD, are also planning to use humanoid robots in their workflows.
The Atlas robots will gradually assume various tasks, easing the physical demands on human workers, taking on potentially hazardous jobs, and facilitating broader adoption of robotic technology. Although Hyundai did not disclose the initial number of robots to be deployed or the project’s costs, it emphasized the robots’ role in working alongside people and managing machines autonomously.
During the CES event, Hyundai’s vice chair, Jaehoon Chang, addressed concerns about job displacement due to automation, stating that human workers will still be essential for training the robots and performing other tasks. This announcement follows Hyundai’s commitment in 2025 to invest over $20 billion in the U.S., aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and advancing autonomous driving and artificial intelligence technologies.
Hyundai operates a battery plant in Georgia in partnership with LG Electronics, which has become a focal point for manufacturing in the U.S. The facility gained unwanted attention in September 2025, when U.S. immigration officers conducted a raid that resulted in the arrest of hundreds of workers, including at least 300 South Korean citizens, sparking outrage in South Korea.
Both South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Hyundai’s CEO, José Muñoz, expressed that such incidents could deter foreign investment. Following the raid, an agreement was reached between Washington and Seoul to release the detained workers, and Muñoz later confirmed that the White House had personally apologized for the situation.
