As humanoid robots enter the mainstream, security pros flag the risk of botnets on legs

Interview Imagine botnets in physical form and you've got a pretty good idea of what could go wrong with the influx of AI-infused humanoid robots expected to integrate into society over the next few decades.

Morgan Stanley recently predicted robot revenue could surpass $5 trillion by 2050, and firms including Unitree Robotics, Agility Robotics, and Engineered Art, along with major carmakers including BMW,  Toyota, Tesla, and Hyundai (which also owns Boston Dynamics), are all developing humanoid robots.

These bipedal machines and their four-legged friends are slated for use on the battlefield and in law enforcement operations, in labs and academia, plus warehouses and manufacturing facilities. As such, building security into these robots "is imperative," Joseph Rooke, risk insights director at Recorded Future's Insikt Group, told The Register.

With 3 billion of these robots in use by 2060, according to BofA Global Research's forecast, the worst-case scenario from ...