Inside an underground boxing ring, a jab by a humanoid robot sent the other humanoid robot stumbling backward. The audience roared as the referee slapped the mat to count the knock out. In a rumbling voice, the announcer rallied the crowd to pump their fists and chant: “Robot fight club! Robot fight club!”

“It was honestly really surreal that this is happening in 2025,” said Jonathan Moon, 26, the chief executive of Budbreak, a start-up that builds robots to inspect vineyards, who attended fight night. “It felt like something that should be happening in like 2040.”

Some attendees were dressed in steampunk outfits, while others — likely coming straight from work — wore retro Microsoft Windows T-shirts. Fake $100 bills littered the floor of the boxing ring as techno music blared and neon lights illuminated posters for flying autonomous cars.

It was just another Friday night in San Francisco. Since the artificial intelligence boom has electrified the region, it has fueled a resurgence in live events and culture. As people have flocked to the city, tech workers have sought out memorable experiences for a reprieve from their laptops.

There have been humanoid robot fights and events for making Taser knives that are later used in hand-to-hand combat. (The blade is rubber and wrapped in aluminum tape.) A performative male contest — a social media trend of men drinking matcha and wearing Labubus and tote bags — was recently held in San Francisco’s Alamo Square and judged by artificial intelligence. And engineers have taken over bars to duel in A.I.-themed trivia nights.