Hyundai Turns Humanoid Robots Into a Factory-Labor Control Fight

Hyundai Motor’s union in South Korea staged its first full-day strike in a decade on August 21, 2026, as wage talks stalled and demands expanded into job protections against AI and automation. The dispute now intersects with Hyundai Motor Group’s plan to deploy Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots at its Georgia plant from 2028, turning humanoid robotics from a demo-stage technology into a collective-bargaining issue.