This paper examines increased AI-powered surveillance robotics presence in the public space from the angle of how such technologies can help enhance security without violating privacy rights. By answering the central question—how to balance the need for public safety with the need to respect individual privacy in the implementation of AI surveillance—this research offers valuable insights. It adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys of public sentiment with qualitative case studies of cities using these technologies. The results show that while AI surveillance robots increase crime prevention and citizens’ feelings of safety, they also raise significant privacy and data security concerns. The key findings reveal in the paper are that transparency, robust data protection and regulatory oversight create high levels of public acceptance. This study, therefore, calls for ethical frameworks that can guide such deployments and gives recommendations to policymakers, developers and urban planners.