Unitree AGT Guard Act: The Night Before the Ban

DJI drones were popular. TikTok had 170 million American users. Neither got a standing ovation on NBC prime time before Congress introduced a ban. Unitree did. That is a different situation.

The Season 21 premiere of America's Got Talent on NBC — eight Unitree G1 humanoid robots performed alongside 26-year-old Chinese dancer Wu Yufei (known professionally as "Flying Bug") in a synchronized routine to Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra," executing somersaults and precision choreography to a standing ovation and unanimous four-yes verdict from judges including Simon Cowell ("insane, nuts, but brilliant"), per NBC, Parade, and Global Times (June 2–3, 2026). The following day, June 3, a bipartisan bill called the Guard Act was introduced in Congress seeking to ban Chinese-made robots considered national security risks. Separately, the American Security Robotics Act — barring US federal agencies from purchasing Chinese-made robots including humanoids — is advancing through Congress. Unitree's IPO met listing requirements the same week.