Netizens calling this the “lowest human content” Gala ever

This year’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala — aka the Super Bowl of Chinese TV — is being called the “lowest human-content edition” ever. And honestly… people aren’t wrong 🤖

For the 2026 Year of the Horse show, robots didn’t just show up — they owned the stage. Four major robotics companies including Unitree, MagicLab, Noetix Robotics, and GALBOT all brought machines front and center. A robot even made its debut in a comedy sketch alongside veteran actress Cai Ming. Yes, a robot delivered punchlines on China’s biggest stage.

Unitree’s humanoid machines performed martial arts routines — real stick fighting, boxing, even drunken fist — not just cute choreography. And at one point, over a hundred panda-shaped quadruped robots executed a perfectly synchronized group performance. It looked less like a gala and more like a robotics expo.

Online reactions were split. Some joked it felt like a “robot company annual meeting.” Others were genuinely impressed by how fast China’s robotics scene has evolved in just one year.

Meanwhile, AI quietly powered everything behind the scenes — from immersive stage visuals to interactive apps that reportedly handled billions of user interactions on New Year’s Eve.

Ratings? Back above 40%.

The future didn’t knock politely. It moonwalked onto the stage 🐎✨