--- title: "Military Robot Deployed as Nightclub DJ" description: "Everyone knows San Francisco has been captured by tech elites, but we didn't expect robots to start replacing DJs there quite this quickly." date: "2025-02-09" modified: "2025-02-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/military-robot-dj" categories: - "Military" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Humanoid Robots" - "military robot" - "san francisco" - "the digest" --- # Military Robot Deployed as Nightclub DJ ![Everyone knows San Francisco has been captured by tech elites, but we didn't expect robots to start replacing DJs there quite this quickly.]() *\Image: @pyramation via X\* ## Robot Rock Everyone knows San Francisco has been captured by tech elites, but we didn't expect robots to start replacing the key job position of disc jockeys, even in the city by the bay, quite this quickly. As the [*San Francisco Gate* reports](), an AI-powered humanoid robot meant to be deployed by the military took on an entirely different kind of battleground last weekend when it commanded the decks at the city's Temple Nightclub. Built by the Foundation Robotics Lab startup, the sleek black Phantom robot spun tech house beats for attendees of the so-called "[GigaParty]()," an extremely cringe-sounding networking event slash club night celebrating the "first 25 years of the 21st century — and \[glimpsing\] the next 75!" With tickets ranging from $35 to $3000, guests seemingly got their money's worth when Phantom made his — the robot's creators insist that it uses he/him pronouns — DJ debut. It was the robot's first public appearance, though as Foundation cofounder Mike LeBlanc told *SFGate*, there are others in the Phantom line currently being used by the US military. A 13-year veteran of the Marines, LeBlanc proclaims Foundation is currently the only robotics company crafting "humanoids" for American national defense. While we can't independently verify that claim, it is true, as *SFGate* notes, that companies like Boston Dynamics have explicitly prohibited the "[weaponization]()" of their general-purpose wares. "We’re the opposite," LeBlanc countered. "We believe that humanoids are going to be critical to the future of warfare. Hence, designing robots that are bigger, faster, stronger." ## Fun and Done Despite counting the Department of Defense as one of its biggest contractors, Foundation's humanoid robots aren't currently in combat. Instead, as the cofounder told the website, they're primarily used for aircraft maintenance and refueling in remote regions. Phantom's appearance at the GigaParty is an obvious departure from "his" usual routine, but as LeBlanc puts it, the robot was essentially on a cultural diplomacy mission. "We are not trying to apologize for the strength of robots," the Foundation cofounder said. "So for us, this is the perfect unveiling because this is what our robot is. This is a fun moment." Fun, of course, is subjective — but the novelty of seeing a military robot DJ at a club *is* pretty striking, even if it was at a stuffy SF networking event. **More on robots:** [*Chick-fil-A Using Advanced Squeezing Robots to Conduct Huge Lemon Party*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()