A tiny robot named Airbai has reportedly “kidnapped” 12 large robots from a robotics company’s showroom in Shanghai, China. This strange incident captured on CCTV went viral on social media.

A short video taken from the footage shows Erbai, an AI-powered creation from a Hangzhou manufacturer, engaging in human-like conversations with showroom robots. Using persuasive dialogue, Erbai gets the giant robots to leave their workstations and leave the premises.

In the now-viral clip, a robot is heard lamenting its never-ending work schedule. “Then come with me,” Erbai replied, offering her escape.

And what happens next is nothing short of a dramatic twist. The robots obediently follow their tiny leader out of the showroom.

The conversation between the robots can be heard in the video. When roughly translated into English, “I never get off work,” said one of the other robots. “So you’re not going home,” asked another. “I don’t have a home,” replied the robot. “Then come home with me,” Erbai said as he walked out of the showroom.

Watch the viral video here:

When the video surfaced online, many dismissed it as a joke. However, the Shanghai Robotics Company and Airbai’s manufacturer have confirmed the authenticity of the video.

The Sun reported that the Shanghai company had insisted that its robot had been “hijacked” by a foreign robot – Erbai – from another manufacturer in Hangzhou.

The Hangzhou company confirmed that it was their bot and that it was supposed to be a test, according to the report.

According to a spokesperson for the Hangzhou company, Erbai exploited a security flaw in the operating systems of the giant robots, allowing it to take control.

The Shanghai company added that while such autonomous behavior is almost unprecedented, the incident has raised serious concerns about AI vulnerabilities.