Chinese Company Announces 'Pregnancy' Robot Development... Is Commercialization Really Possible Next Year? [Current Affairs Show]

Artificial Womb Technology Still in Its Infancy in the US and Europe
Bioethics and Birth-Based Class Stratification Emerge as Social Issues

■ Broadcast: Asia Economy 'So Jongseop's Current Affairs Show'

■ Host: Political Specialist So Jongseop

■ Director: PD Ma Yena

■ Guest: Reporter Lee Hyunwoo

A Chinese robotics company has announced plans to commercialize the world's first robot capable of surrogate pregnancy next year, drawing international attention and sparking controversy. However, questions are being raised about the feasibility of such technology at the current level of development, and bioethical concerns are emerging as a serious issue.

Chinese Company Kaiwa Robot: "Pregnancy-Capable Robot to Be Commercialized at 20 Million KRW"

AP Yonhap News

Dr. Zhang Qifeng, CEO of Chinese robotics manufacturer Kaiwa Robot and professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, recently stated in an interview with Chinese media, "We will launch a robot capable of pregnancy next year," adding, "The price will be around 100,000 yuan (approximately 20 million KRW)."

Dr. Zhang asserted that the company would develop a robot that can handle the entire process from early pregnancy to childbirth by integrating an artificial womb incubator into an android robot. Explaining the motivation behind the project, he said, "In China, there are many people who do not want to get married, leading to a low birth rate, but on the other hand, there are also many people who want to raise children," adding, "It is intended to help couples struggling with infertility."

Born in 1983, Dr. Zhang is a young researcher, aged 42 this year. After earning his degree in Singapore, he turned down several lucrative offers from Chinese technical universities and established his own robotics company two years ago. He is recognized as a pioneer in the development of service robots and android technology in China, serves as a youth committee member of the Communist Party, and has been acknowledged by the Chinese government as a "young intellectual."

Despite these claims, experts remain skeptical about Dr. Zhang's assertions regarding the technological feasibility. The consensus is that artificial womb technology has not yet reached the level where it can handle the entire process from pregnancy to childbirth, as Dr. Zhang claims.

Currently, artificial womb technology remains at the level of improved incubators designed to assist the growth of premature infants. Technically, these incubators can only accommodate fetuses from 23 weeks of gestation, at which point all human organs and body parts have already formed, and the incubator merely supports further development. Therefore, at this stage, it is considered more appropriate to refer to these devices as "incubators" rather than "artificial wombs."

The main reason for the slow progress in artificial womb research is bioethical concerns. While experiments using artificial wombs on mammals are permitted in many countries, there are strict regulations on human embryo experiments. Even China prohibits experiments on human embryos beyond 14 days after fertilization. If Dr. Zhang's statement is true, it could mean that some experiments are being conducted secretly without legal oversight within the Chinese scientific community. If it is not true, then the scientific achievements have been greatly exaggerated. Either way, controversy is inevitable.

Expected to Replace the Human Surrogacy Market... But Concerns Over Genetic Manipulation Remain

A female android robot displayed at the World Robot Conference (WRC) held in Beijing, China, on the 8th (local time). Photo by Xinhua News Agency

Alternative to the 34 Trillion KRW Surrogacy Market: The growing interest in surrogate pregnancy robots is rooted in the current problems of the human surrogacy market. The global surrogacy market is estimated to be worth 25 billion dollars (about 34 trillion KRW). Large-scale surrogacy industries are active in countries such as India and Central Asia, and before the war, Ukraine was the world's largest surrogacy market.

This was due to high demand among white families in the United States and Europe for white surrogate mothers. Surrogates generally receive basic living expenses and medical support until childbirth, and, depending on the country, are typically paid around 20,000 dollars (about 3 million KRW) for their services. However, some criminal organizations have been found to kidnap or forcibly recruit women as surrogates, and legal disputes over parental rights after childbirth are frequent. Developers of pregnancy robots argue that their technology could provide an alternative to these ethical issues surrounding human surrogacy.

However, the potential emergence of pregnancy robots is expected to have a significant social impact. Concerns are being raised that an era may arrive in which humans are "manufactured" rather than "born" through artificial pregnancy. This idea was already explored in Aldous Huxley's 1932 science fiction novel "Brave New World," in which all humans are produced by machines and endowed with abilities suited to their predetermined social class. Experts warn that if pregnancy robot technology becomes a reality, social roles and even occupations could be predetermined at birth.

In fact, a recent American startup has begun offering embryo testing services for 50,000 dollars (about 6.9 million KRW), allowing parents to check their child's IQ in advance, and reservations are pouring in. As demand grows among the wealthy to select superior genes, there are increasing concerns about the emergence of innate class divisions. Ultimately, the development and commercialization of surrogate pregnancy robot technology will require not only technological perfection, but also the establishment of social consensus and ethical standards.