AI in the Aisles: Pobeda's Physical Robot vs. Qatar's Digital Crew

Daily Technology

·

18/11/2025

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The idea of robot flight attendants is moving from fantasy to early tests. Russia's Pobeda besides Qatar Airways now test separate uses of artificial intelligence. The two carriers show opposite ways to automate cabin work and both expose the large obstacles that still exist.

Pobeda Airlines flew a human shaped robot called “Volodya” from Ulyanovsk to Moscow. Volodya only helped with the safety briefing before departure and spoke a greeting to travellers. The device acted as a publicity display for aviation robotics. Human crew members alone performed every safety task and every passenger service, which shows that physical robots still cannot cope with the changing conditions inside an aircraft.

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Qatar Airways, by contrast, launched “Sama,” the first digital cabin crew member generated by software. Sama has no body - she appears only on social media. Her job is to talk to customers online and to promote the airline - she illustrates a software only form of artificial intelligence that deals with passengers outside the aircraft.

The road to a fully autonomous cabin crew remains difficult. Aviation rules require a fixed number of human attendants on board so that people can respond to emergencies - no machine has the legal status or the technical ability to replace that duty. Physical problems are equally hard. Moving along a narrow aisle filled with people during turbulence demands balance, quick judgement and steady motion. Tasks like treating a heart attack calming an aggressive traveller or guiding an evacuation lie far outside the scope of present day robots.

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Although the trials attract attention, they also prove that human flight attendants will keep their positions. The next stage of cabin automation will probably involve equipment that passengers do not notice, for example sensor rich galley carts or software that monitors the cabin, rather than human shaped robots that walk the aisles.

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