Inside an underground boxing ring, a humanoid robot delivered a powerful jab, sending its opponent reeling backward. The audience erupted in cheers as the referee slapped the mat, signaling a knockout. A booming voice from the announcer then rallied the crowd, urging them to pump their fists and chant: “Robot fight club! Robot fight club!”
“It was truly surreal to witness this in 2025,” remarked Jonathan Moon, 26, CEO of Budbreak, a startup developing vineyard-inspecting robots. “It felt more like something from 2040.”
The atmosphere was a fascinating mix: some attendees sported elaborate steampunk attire, while others, fresh from work, wore vintage Microsoft Windows t-shirts. Fake hundred-dollar bills littered the boxing ring floor as pulsating techno music filled the air, and neon signs advertised futuristic flying cars.
This was a typical Friday evening in San Francisco. The city’s recent artificial intelligence boom has ignited a vibrant revival of live events and cultural experiences. With a new influx of tech workers, there’s a strong desire for unique, unforgettable moments away from their screens.
Beyond the robot boxing, the city has hosted diverse events like workshops for crafting Taser knives (with rubber blades wrapped in aluminum tape for combat simulations). San Francisco’s Alamo Square even saw a “performative male contest”—a social media phenomenon featuring men sipping matcha and accessorizing with trendy tote bags, judged by AI. Engineers are also flocking to bars for engaging AI-themed trivia competitions.
Victor Pontis, co-founder and CEO of Luma, an event-hosting platform, noted a significant increase in searches for San Francisco activities over the past year. Last month alone, the city hosted nearly 2,000 live events, including hackathons and communal dinners—almost double the number from a year prior. Notably, AI-focused events surged more than fourfold, reaching 578, as reported by Luma.
Many of these gatherings aren’t your typical networking events. Tech professionals are actively seeking community and opportunities to connect beyond their professional lives. This drive led Chris Miles, 38, a software engineer at AI chip startup Quadric, to attend a recent AI-themed trivia night.
“I’m keen on attending more laid-back events like this,” stated Mr. Miles, who regularly searches Luma for new experiences, aiming to participate in one each week.
Event organizers and hosts are experiencing unexpectedly high demand. For instance, at a recent trivia night, venture capital firm SignalFire booked Standard Deviant Brewing in the Mission district. This venue, conveniently located near OpenAI’s (creators of ChatGPT and the event’s sponsor) offices, was chosen for its larger capacity after over 600 people expressed interest. Still, only about half of the eager attendees could be accommodated.
That evening, no question proved too obscure for the predominantly software engineer crowd, who enthusiastically tackled queries like “what does this code output?”
Josh Constine, 40, a venture partner at SignalFire, explained that when tech professionals have only a couple of hours for entertainment on a given night, they seek out “something weird and special that feels uniquely San Francisco.”
Steve Jang, managing partner at investment firm Kindred Ventures, noted that San Francisco has always experienced cycles of booms and busts, each ushering in a wave of social activities mirroring the era’s latest technological innovations.
He recalled that three decades prior, during the dot-com era, his friends would watch rudimentary robots battle in San Francisco’s Fort Mason neighborhood. The resurgence of such events now, he mused, “just rhymes with everything that the city’s been about.”
Returning to the robot boxing ring, the audience was captivated by the humanoids, roughly the size and agility of a third grader.
Vitaly and Xenia Bulatov launched the “Ultimate Fighting Bots” event in July, aiming to create a “tech event that doesn’t suck.” They manage the robotics floor at Frontier Tower, a 16-story tech community in San Francisco’s Mid-Market, which served as the battleground.
The most recent live-streamed fight showcased six robots from Chinese manufacturers Unitree Robotics and Booster Robotics, supplied by Singapore-based FrodoBots AI. Mr. Bulatov revealed that his team customized these humanoids for combat, with each robot costing between $30,000 and $60,000.
Tickets, which were highly sought after, cost $100 and allowed a plus-one entry. Proceeds covered venue decorations and staff wages, though Mrs. Bulatov stated their ultimate ambition is to develop a profitable series of robot sporting events.
Each robot, controlled by human operators using video game controllers, came with elaborate backstories, unique names, costumes, and even dramatic, actor-played coaches. For example, Googlord appeared as a Google intern in a vibrant pinwheel hat, while Peuter Steel, a playful jab at a famous investor, sported a “CEO” chain and a sleek black puffer vest.
The final round pitted Peuter Steel against Waifu.exe, a humanoid in a dress—a clever reference to the AI companion from Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot, Grok.
“This truly defines San Francisco right now,” declared Carter Crouch, 32, a former Amazon data analyst who traveled from Los Angeles specifically for the event.
The next robot boxing match is scheduled for September 27th, according to the Bulatovs. Despite some societal anxieties about robots, Mrs. Bulatov emphasized that these humanoids evoked strong emotional responses from the audience. The organizers aspire to create entertaining spaces where people can forge “real-life relationships” mediated by robots.
“We give these robots human-like appearances and engage them in activities that naturally resonate with people,” she explained, highlighting the universal appeal of such spectacles.