The band's performance of the song has varied significantly over time: For example, one report of a performance in 1997 describes "four legless robot bodies [being] lowered from a lighting rig and programmed to make mechanical movements to the music", another from the following year describes the spectacle as "robot torsos and heads [being] suspended in the air, slowly twisting and waving as the music plays on", and yet another describes witnessing on-screen "plastic-head representations of the band, stuck on dull gray torsos with mechanical arms and metal-rod legs". The lyrics "We are the robots" flash up on this screen, followed by the line "We are programmed / just to do / anything you want us to." The screen then lifts to reveal the band following their transformation into robots.
The band's performance of the song has changed over time: For instance, one account from 1997 describes "four robot bodies without legs [being] lowered from a lighting rig and programmed to move in sync with the music", another from the subsequent year mentions "robot torsos and heads suspended in mid-air, slowly turning and waving as the tune plays", and yet another shows on-screen "plastic-head representations of the band, stuck on dull gray bodies with mechanical arms and metal legs." The lyrics "We are the robots" appear on this screen, followed by "We are programmed / to do / anything you want us to." Finally, the screen rises to reveal the band transformed into robots.