This is the astonishing moment a young woman pretends to be a robot to impress customers in a Chinese restaurant.

Social media users were left baffled after the woman’s performance at the hotpot restaurant in the Chongqing municipality in southwestern China was so realistic, they couldn’t believe they were looking at a real woman on 10th April.

Amid heated debate about the way AI was replacing humans in jobs, so people thought that this really was the next generation robot and was taking even menial jobs.

But local media later reported that the woman was actually the owner of the restaurant who decided to impersonate a robot waitress to create some fun for customers.

The restaurant owner, a 26-year-old man surnamed Qin, said the woman has been passionate about dance since childhood and underwent professional training when she was 12.

In one of the videos, she serves a dish to a table set with a spicy hotpot soup base, duck innards, ham, and vegetables.

Other videos show her mechanically waving at guests at the entrance, and providing an impressive performance as she serves up food and pours tea.

The fact that she keeps her eyes open without thinking also impressed visitors with her showmanship.

Some sharp viewers noticed subtle details, distinguishing her from a real robot, with one particularly observant person pointing out that she has some spots, and another said he could see her nostrils moving.

According to the woman, the rhythmic and mechanical movements resemble the beats of street dance, making the task easier for her.

Qin said: “Eye expressions are definitely acting, but the moves rely on muscle control learned from music and dancing. When customers or friends come to the restaurant, we dance together.

“By chance, they thought my impersonation was very realistic and recorded a video of me, which was then uploaded online. It’s about having fun using my talents and adding a unique feature to the restaurant.”

The videos have recently become a massive hit on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.

Douyin user ‘Hua brother’ said: “I thought it was a real robot.”

And ‘little angel’ said: “Is it a real person or a robot?”

While ‘Zeng Zhengzhao’ said: “Can I take it home and use it as a doll?”