Humanoid robots worth up to $60,000 each are battling in underground boxing rings as San Francisco experiences a boom in artificial intelligence-themed entertainment events.
The city has witnessed a dramatic increase in live tech events as AI workers seek memorable experiences beyond their usual work routines, reports The New York Times.
Event platform Luma reports nearly 2,000 live events occurred in San Francisco last month, almost double the previous year’s figures. AI-focused gatherings increased four-fold to 578 events, reflecting the technology sector’s growing influence on local culture.
The Ultimate Fighting Bots events, launched in July by Vitaly and Xenia Bulatov, feature six robots from Chinese manufacturers Unitree Robotics and Booster Robotics. The humanoids, standing about the size of a third grader, are controlled remotely using video game controllers.
“It was honestly really surreal that this is happening in 2025,” said Jonathan Moon, chief executive of vineyard robotics start-up Budbreak, who attended a recent fight. “It felt like something that should be happening in like 2040.”
Tickets for the exclusive events cost $100, with robots given backstories and costumes. One fighter called “Googlord” wore a Google intern outfit, while another named “Peuter Steel” – referencing investor Peter Thiel – sported a CEO chain necklace.
The entertainment extends beyond robot combat, including AI-themed trivia nights where software engineers tackle coding questions, and events for creating rubber-bladed “Taser knives” used in mock combat.
“If techies only get one day and from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. to go out and do something, they want to do something weird and special that feels like it could only happen in SF,” explained Josh Constine, venture partner at SignalFire.
