In February 2026, a video (archived) circulated online purportedly showing a "humanoid robot" in London.
The clip, recorded in the Hoxton area of East London, showed the "robot" interacting with young people whom appeared to be students, answering questions about its name and creator.
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(X user @KieraDiss)
The video of the alleged robot also circulated on YouTube and TikTok.
The "robot" in the video is a version of "Joy" — an invention that AI company Joyous AI describes as "The World's First Indistinguishable from Human, Humanoid Robot." Joyous' Instagram profile posted several videos of their "robot" appearing across London.
In a March 31, 2026, email, Joyous AI described "Joy" as "a social performance designed to spark a global conversation." That email linked to a video (archived) by artist Jack Carden, who helped bring "Joy" to life. According to Carden, "Joy" is "performance art" and his video shows how artists used makeup and masks to create "Joy's" appearance.
Given the above, we rate this claim false. "Joy" is a performance art piece that used a real person in costume rather than an actual "humanoid" robot modeled after the human body.
Snopes also contacted Callum Scott, who describes himself as Joyous' chief robotics officer on LinkedIn, for more information about "Joy." When reached by phone, Scott deflected a question about whether "Joy" was actually a human and referred us to the company's spokesperson, who had not commented by the initial provided deadline.
We also contacted the TikTok user Eduard Constantin, who recorded three videos of "Joy," to ask for his assessment of the "humanoid robot." We will update this article if he responds. One of Constantin's videos shows "Joy" making more human-like movements (at around the 0:27 mark), such as rubbing her hands together.
Another video on X shows the "robot" breaking character to laugh (around the 00:28 mark).
It appeared the company decided to do a walkabout with "Joy" in Hoxton in February 2026 to build an audience for the performance art piece. The videos circulating online show the "robot" in Purcell Street and Pitfield Street.
In 2023, passersby also spotted "humanoid robots" at London Bridge train station (archived), also in the U.K. capital. These "robots" were also humans in costume carrying out a promotion for the sci-fi movie "The Creator."
In early February 2026, the tech publication Rest of World reported that 90% of the world's humanoid robots are produced in China. The industry in the country is highly developed, with companies even putting on all-robot soccer matches.