Lei Jun claims that in the AI era the future will require "only 2 hours of work per day," as Xiaomi invests another 200 billion yuan in humanoid robot R&D

Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun boldly predicted during China’s “Two Sessions” that AI will enable humans to work only 3 days a week, 2 hours a day, while announcing a future five-year R&D investment of 200 billion RMB.
(Background: Bill Gates: AI will replace humans within 10 years, working two days a week is not a dream, three professions may survive)
(Additional context: AI truly starting to take human jobs—global giants accelerating layoffs, American college graduates facing immediate unemployment)

During the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, Lei Jun, Chairman of Xiaomi Group, spoke at the Beijing delegation open meeting and told China News Weekly that the AI era will rewrite many rules and create numerous new job opportunities. He urged people to embrace technological progress with an open mind and boldly predicted:

Perhaps in the future, we will only need to work 3 days a week, 2 hours a day, greatly improving our quality of life and work.

Xiaomi invests heavily in AI and humanoid robots

On the other hand, Lei Jun revealed that Xiaomi’s automotive factory has begun testing humanoid robots as a starting point for promoting intelligent manufacturing, and expects more humanoid robots to enter factory production lines in the coming years.

In terms of R&D investment, Xiaomi has invested a total of 105 billion RMB over the past five years, focusing on core technologies such as chips, operating systems, and AI. Lei Jun announced that Xiaomi plans to invest another 200 billion RMB in R&D over the next five years, nearly doubling its funding scale, demonstrating its firm commitment to the AI track.

Structural adjustments in the labor market

But will things really turn out as rosy as he predicts? The Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently announced that the number of college graduates in 2026 is expected to reach 12.7 million, an increase of 480,000 from last year, with ongoing rising employment pressure. As the supply of new labor increases rapidly while manufacturing industries adopt automation simultaneously, the interplay of these forces will exert downward pressure on starting salaries and employment structures.

In an interview, Lei Jun advised young people to “specialize deeply for three to ten years and accumulate expertise.” He said: Don’t look at other mountains as higher; invest your time in fields where you can deepen your skills.

“The premium for general skills is decreasing, and the demand for talents capable of designing chips or maintaining robots will continue to grow.”

Industry analysts pointed out that if companies continue to use automation to buffer external tariffs and cost pressures, China’s low-skilled labor market may see further weakening of bargaining power.