Photo: JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Getty Images
San José Mineta International Airport has a new employee — and it doesn't need a lunch break. The airport, known as SJC, has debuted a humanoid robot named José, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered assistant designed to greet travelers, answer questions, and help passengers navigate the terminal in real time.
José was developed by IntBot, a San Jose-based robotics startup. According to SJC, the robot is stationed at Terminal B, Gate 24, near the Zoom Zone. It can communicate in more than 50 languages and is built to understand human intent and social context in busy public environments.
The robot's debut is part of a four-month pilot program that airport officials say will test how well AI performs in real-world settings, combining vision, audio, and language to assist the public.
Mookie Patel, director of aviation at SJC, said the pilot fits with the airport's identity as a gateway to Silicon Valley. "By piloting IntBot, we're exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance the passenger journey while reinforcing SJC's role as the gateway to Silicon Valley," Patel said.
Lei Yang, CEO of IntBot, called the SJC deployment a major milestone. According to IntBot, the company is focused on building "the foundational layer that enables robots to understand human intent, context, and behavior in real-world environments." Yang said the airport deployment demonstrates "how these systems can operate reliably at scale."
The four-month pilot will help SJC evaluate how the technology performs before any decisions are made about expanding its use. IntBot says it is already operating in hospitality settings and plans to scale across multiple service industries.