Share to ClassroomRobots Spread in LA; AI Helps Airport
American cities are adding new robots and AI (artificial intelligence) helpers. In Los Angeles, Serve Robotics put 500 more delivery robots on the streets in May 2026. The fleet now covers 40 neighborhoods, up from two in 2023. Another company, Coco Robotics, runs about 300 robots in the city. Meanwhile, New York's LaGuardia Airport added a life-sized AI hologram named Bridget. Bridget answers traveler questions in English and Spanish.
The two projects show how cities are testing automation in daily life. But the reactions are very different. In LA, residents say the small robots block sidewalks and may take jobs from human drivers. Glendale is thinking of banning them, and Chicago has limited their use. Researchers at Cornell University now rate streets by how safe they are for robots. At LaGuardia, the airport says Bridget is only extra help when it is busy.
Reactions are mixed. In LA, restaurant workers call the robots a small nuisance that hits people and blocks paths. A cyclist in New Jersey sued after a robot allegedly hit him and broke his collarbone. Still, some people cheer when a robot finally gets through a busy street. The airport will install more Bridget units soon. Whether people accept these new neighbors depends on whether they truly make daily life easier.
