Robots challenge elite athletes in YouTube star MrBeast’s human-vs-machine contest

In the video titled "World's Fastest Man Vs Robot!" published on Sunday, MrBeast invited seven elite athletes from various sports to represent humanity, facing off against seven of the most cutting-edge robots to explore the question, "Are the days of the human species numbered?"

The first challenge featured Thor Bjornsson, the world’s strongest man, facing a giant mechanical robot said to possess 50 times the strength of an average human. The challenge required them to flip three cars and pull a bus out of position in the quickest time. After a neck-and-neck race to flip the cars, Thor clinched victory in the bus-pulling event, securing the first point for Team Human.

Next, former Major League Baseball player Eric Sim, who played for the San Francisco Giants, faced "Neo," a humanoid robot equipped with a 150 mph (241 km/h) fastball launcher. For context, the human record is 105 mph, held by Aroldis Chapman. Initially shocked by the robot’s speed, Eric quickly adapted, hitting a home run on the seventh pitch, giving Team Human a 2-0 lead.

MrBeast, Unitree humanoid robot G1 and U.S. track and field athlete Noah Lyles (left to right). Photo courtesy of MrBeast

The next challenge saw Adam, one of the world’s top kickers in American football, face off against a robot in an accuracy contest where they had to kick a ball through a set of goalposts, aiming at a target hanging between them. Both Adam and the robot missed their first two attempts. Adam missed his third shot, while the robot scored on its attempt, helping Team Robot claim victory in this round, narrowing the score to 2-1.

In the next face-off, NBA legend Manu Ginóbili took on the "most elite basketball robot in the world." Whoever made two shots first would win, with the second hoop surrounded by razor-sharp nails. Manu made the first shot but missed the decisive one into the dangerous hoop. The robot's precision and consistent accuracy led to a flawless victory, tying the score at 2-2.

The climax of the challenge came during an F1 race, where world-class driver George Russell faced off against a Mercedes AI-controlled car, said by MrBeast to react "faster than any human alive." Despite trailing at times, Russell used human adaptability to edge out the AI, posting a record time and regaining the lead for Team Human at 3-2.

In the following challenge, professional golfer Grant Horvette faced "Robo-T," a golf robot MrBeast described as the "most precise golf robot in the world." Grant struggled with consistency, while Robo-T hit three consecutive targets, securing a point for Team Robot and tying the overall score at 3-3.

The final showdown saw Noah Lyles, one of the world’s fastest men, race against three different robots: Unitree H1, G1, and Black Panther, a four-legged robot designed to emulate the speed of a leopard. Noah easily outpaced the first two robots but was closely pursued by Black Panther, which reached speeds of 35 km/h. In a thrilling chase, Noah managed to outpace the robot in the final stretch, securing a 4-3 victory for Team Human.

Concluding the video, MrBeast said, "One day, robots will overtake us. But in 2025, humans still have an edge. Robots are not better than us. At least not yet."

The game precedes the second season of MrBeast’s show, "Beast Games," inspired by the global sensation "Squid Game," according to Soap Central.

Set to release on Amazon Prime Video on Jan. 7, 2026, the show will feature 100 of the world’s strongest competitors and 100 of the smartest minds, competing in the concept of "Strong vs Smart," with the winner taking home a $5 million prize.