Robots, Wombs, and Wheat: China’s Dual-Track Bet on Biotech and Automation

China’s World Robot Conference showed two paths: a proven plant‑breeding robot and a contested surrogate‑pregnancy robot—promise and ethical risks.

At first glance, the headlines read like science fiction. In Beijing, Chinese researchers presented GEAIR, an AI-driven “full‑process” plant-breeding robot that navigates greenhouses, identifies flowers, and executes precise cross‑pollination. In parallel, a Guangzhou startup drew global attention by claiming it will unveil a humanoid “surrogate pregnan…