Earlier this year (before he was put in charge of Donald Trump’s ‘department of government efficiency’) Elon Musk introduced the world to his new Optimus robots, produced by Tesla and coming soon to a dystopian future near you. Of course, there were some suspicions that the robots weren’t as ‘autonomous’ as they seemed – as they danced, poured drinks and mingled with guests, sceptics claimed that they were operated (and voiced) remotely by real human beings. That problem seems pretty short-lived though. With the speed of advancements in AI and robotics, IRL robot butlers are just a matter of time. The better question is: will we be able to accept a world filled with subservience robots? And should we?

Introducing: Kim Kardashian. Between advocating the release of US prisoners and rampaging through historic fashion archives, Kim has recently found time to influence her fans in favour of Musk’s cybernetic servants. 

“Meet my new friend,” she writes in a recent X post, alongside a robot emoji. The friend in question? One of Tesla’s Optimus bots themselves, which stands proudly on her lawn. “Ok, what shall we do?” she asks in a voiceover, as she films herself and the robot joining hands to make a love heart. Cute!

In case it wasn’t already clear that Kardashian’s new robot servant is a Tesla plug, her next X post features another of the company’s new technologies: a Tesla Cybercab, ‘piloted’ by another of its robots. Does she actually go anywhere in it? No. Can it actually drive her anywhere? We’re not too sure. But there it is, a self-driving car! Stationary! But still!

Admittedly, Kim isn’t the only celebrity who’s seemingly been enlisted to usher in the robot revolution (metaphorically speaking... we hope). Last month, Twitch streamer Kai Cenat showed off a new, two-wheeled, $24,000 robot PA. As seen in his videos, the robot can brush his teeth autonomously, as well as providing a virtual ‘body’ for distant collaborators like Snoop Dogg, via remote control.

However Cenat’s robot – which is actually the EVE model by 1X Technologies – has also been shown going rogue. In one clip, it appears to smash his TV. In another, it’s shown throwing up gang signs while listening to Chief Keef. Again, the robot can be remote-controlled, so its disobedience doesn’t necessarily mean the robot apocalypse is upon us, yet.

What EVE’s acting out does offer is an interesting contrast with Kardashian’s clean-cut Optimus robot. On the one hand, you have a sleek corporate android (and Optimus) playing rock-paper-scissors in the sun. On the other, you have an intelligent machine slave pushing back against its human masters, even if it is just a fun story for Twitch. Which is the more likely story to play out on a massive scale, when robots are rolled into every household? Is the former worth the risk of the latter? Inadvertently or not, Kim and Kai might just have ignited the biggest debate about personal robotics to date.