Sber Debuts “Green,” a GigaChat-Powered Humanoid, at Moscow AI Conference

MOSCOW — Sber, Russia’s largest banking and technology conglomerate, has officially entered the humanoid robotics race with the unveiling of "Green," a bipedal machine powered by the company's proprietary large language model, GigaChat.

The robot was presented at the international AI Journey 2025 conference in Moscow, marking what Sber CEO German Gref described as a new stage in the development of "Physical AI"—systems that extend artificial intelligence beyond screens and into real-world manipulation.

“Physical AI” Meets Logistics

While many recent humanoid debuts have focused solely on locomotion, Sber is emphasizing the cognitive integration of its machine. Green is designed to act as a physical embodiment of the GigaChat neural network, allowing it to process audiovisual information in real-time, converse with users, and execute voice commands.

According to Sber representatives, the robot is equipped with a sensor array designed for safety and stability, including:

• Visual Processing: Ten separate sensors to map the environment.
• Dynamics: Inertial and force sensors to maintain equilibrium and manage movement accuracy.

The company claims Green is already capable of autonomous navigation and interacting with physical objects, specifically highlighting its ability to sort and pack items in unstructured environments. This suggests Sber is targeting the same logistics and warehousing use cases currently being pursued by western competitors like Agility Robotics and Figure.

A Presidential Demo

The public debut involved a high-profile demonstration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the event, the robot introduced itself, stating, "I am not just a program on a screen, but a physical embodiment of technology," before performing a dance to its "favorite track".

While the President called the performance "very beautiful," the demonstration highlighted the lingering safety protocols required for such machines. Reuters reported that Putin’s bodyguards closely monitored the interaction, at one point stepping between the leader and the robot to ensure the machine moved away safely—a reminder that despite the choreography, close human-robot interaction remains a high-stakes operational challenge.

Stability in the Spotlight

The successful, albeit carefully controlled, presentation of Green comes at a sensitive moment for Russian robotics. Just days prior, a different Russian humanoid project, "AIdol," suffered a public malfunction during its debut, toppling over while attempting to walk on stage.

The contrast between AIdol’s fall and Green’s stability likely serves Sber’s narrative that significant capital and advanced software integration are required to solve the complex dynamic balancing issues inherent in bipedal locomotion.

Future Applications

Sber has stated that Green is currently a testing platform but plans to launch pilot projects integrating the robot into various business processes in the near future.

Herman Gref noted that as the GigaChat model evolves, the robot’s skill set will expand into manufacturing, retail, and food service. However, Gref also tempered expectations regarding the form factor, suggesting that the future of automation isn't solely anthropomorphic. He indicated that the generative AI foundation used in Green would likely spawn lines of specialized robots adapted for specific practical tasks rather than a "one-size-fits-all" humanoid.