Robots Are Coming: How Developing Countries and Small Island States Can Join the New Workforce

By Ambassador Dr. Clarence E. Pilgrim A humanoid robot running faster than Usain Bolt should not be dismissed merely as technological spectacle. It is a signal. At the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing in August 2026, one early headline performance saw China's Tiangong Ultra complete the 100 metres in 9.39 seconds, faster than Bolt's human world record of 9.58 seconds. It later improved to 8.64 seconds. The significance is how rapidly machines are acquiring capabilities once thought beyond their reach. For developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the response should be neither fear nor an expensive attempt to compete with China, the United States or Europe in building sophisticated humanoid robots. The objective should be more practical: learn how to use robots intelligently. A robot, in practical terms, is a programmable machine capable of sensing or interacting with its environment and performing physical tasks with some degree of autonomy. It may resemble a person, but most do not. Robots include autonomous vehicles, robotic arms, underwater machines, agricultural equipment and autonomous or semi-autonomous drones. That distinction matters. The future of robotics in developing economies will depend less on humanoid machines than on technologies that solve real economic, social and environmental problems. The next technological divide may separate countries that successfully integrate intelligent machines into their economies from those unable or unwilling to adapt. Developing states will require reliable electricity, connectivity, technical skills and capable institutions. Their later entry, however, provides something valuable: time to prepare. Development must remain human-centred. Technology should expand human dignity, productive capacity and opportunity, rather than make societies passive consumers of systems designed elsewhere. There must therefore be a clear, calculated policy to introduce robotics into the workforce. The first step should not be purchasing fleets of machines, but determining where robotics can genuinely advance national development. Governments could consider allocating up to approximately 0.1% of annual national expenditure, adjusted to national fiscal circumstances, to a six-month National Robotics Readiness Assessment and limited pilot programme. This figure is not an international benchmark, but a proposed prudent exploratory ceiling before major financial commitments are made. The approach should be disciplined: Observe → Analyse → Pilot → Evaluate → Scale. During those six months, government, labour, business and educational institutions should identify labour shortages, hazardous or repetitive occupations, inefficient public services, transportation weaknesses and environmental pressures. Limited pilots should then test the areas offering the greatest potential benefit, with expansion only where results demonstrate clear economic, social or environmental value. A useful policy test follows: automate where technology makes work safer, more productive, more environmentally sustainable or fills a genuine labour shortage—not merely where a machine can replace a person. For most developing economies, the initial objective should therefore be human augmentation rather than labour displacement. Agriculture is an obvious starting point. Autonomous machines, drones and sensors can assist with irrigation, crop surveillance, spraying and harvesting while helping farmers use water and agricultural inputs more precisely. In fisheries and the blue economy, autonomous systems can inspect reefs, monitor fish stocks and underwater infrastructure, and assist search-and-rescue operations. Robotics can also become an important instrument of environmental protection. Underwater robots can monitor coral reefs and marine pollution. Drones can survey mangroves, forests and wetlands, monitor erosion and identify illegal dumping. Automated systems can improve recycling and help remove waste from beaches and waterways. Robots can strengthen climate resilience by inspecting sea walls, drainage systems, bridges and pipelines before minor defects become costly failures. Following hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, aerial and ground machines can assess hazardous areas while reducing risks to emergency personnel. Properly applied, robotics can help countries produce more while wasting less and protect natural resources while supporting livelihoods. Tourism also offers opportunities. Robots need not replace the human interaction that defines hospitality. They can transport luggage, clean floors, manage inventories or deliver supplies while employees concentrate on culture, judgement and personalised service. Hospitals could use robots to transport medicines, sterilise facilities and move supplies, leaving healthcare professionals more time for patients. Ports, airports and warehouses could use autonomous vehicles and robotic handling systems to improve logistics. Public transportation is a particularly natural fit for gradual robotic integration. Buses and shuttles operate on predictable corridors, making them suitable for controlled autonomous systems. Singapore offers a practical model. Autonomous fixed-route shuttles in Punggol opened to public passengers in April 2026 after extensive testing, and Singapore plans to pilot autonomous public buses on conventional services by the end of 2026. SIDS need not reproduce Singapore's system wholesale. They can replicate the method: begin with one controlled corridor, retain human safety oversight, measure performance and expand only after reliability is demonstrated. Suitable routes could connect airports with hotel districts, cruise ports with town centres, hospitals with nearby communities, or operate within university and government campuses. Existing drivers need not simply disappear. They can be retrained as safety operators, fleet supervisors, technicians and remote vehicle monitors. Where autonomous vehicles are electric, their introduction can also improve reliability, reduce emissions and lessen dependence on imported fuel. Developing countries must nevertheless resist buying technology merely because it is impressive. Humanoid robots attract headlines; task-specific automation often delivers the better economic return.