Virtual Actor
There has always been one major difference between human intelligence and artificial intelligence: emotion. A lack of feelings or sentiments has always been the difference between a human and a computer system. However, it seems like it’s a matter of time until such a gap will be bridged. It has already been announced that scientists are on the verge of building an intelligent machine which will be capable of having emotions, feelings, and sentiments. Russian scientists who have been extensively working on building such a machine have claimed that the emotional robot will be revealed to the world in the upcoming year or so. It has further been claimed that the emotional robot would think much like a live person and would be able to build trust as well.
The scientists at the National Research Nuclear University of Moscow are working strenuously to build a robot named Virtual Actor who will be as close to a live human being as the world has ever witnessed. The robot has been given that name since it is being speculated that the primary role of the robot will be to imitate a human being and essentially be an actor and play his role. As per the reports, it is being speculated that the Virtual Actor will be able to completely understand the context of what is going on and will have a built-in capacity, just like a human being, to adapt to varying scenarios. The machine will have a built-in capacity to set certain personal goals for itself and in order to pursue all of its goals, certain questions will be formulated and asked.
It has been announced by the researchers at the university that the research into Virtual Actor began with the extensive study of the human brain. Once the fundamental principles on which the human intelligence is based were understood, similar principles were tried in developing an emotional robot. There is no argument over the fact that the biological solutions are far superior to the ones artificially created in the labs. Be it in terms of adaptability, resistance, or ability to learn, etc., biological solutions have a competitive edge over the artificial ones. This is exactly why the similar kinds of principles are being modeled on Virtual Actor in order to make it act as much like a human being as possible.
The hippocampus, which is commonly referred to as the memory center of the brain, has numberless neurons which are able to perceive space for memory formulation. Upon positioning such neurons along a certain plane, the activity of the neurons can be focused on a particular point. This raises important questions. Since robots work on a digital basis, is it really necessary to completely replicate a vast network of neurons in an operational robot with emotions in order to essentially represent merely two numbers? Perhaps not. It isn’t wrong to claim that the parameters of the computers which already exist on the market in terms of memory volume or even efficiency are sufficient to replicate humanoid intelligence.
The Russian scientists have further announced their plans of launching a video game in which the figures on the computer screen will each be controlled by the human player as well as the developed emotional robot. The game will enable the human player and Virtual Actor to connect at an emotional level in order to socialize and build trust. On the basis of such emotions, they’d be allowed to welcome each other, or attack each other, or help each other in some way, etc. It is given that all activities are associated with an emotion. It is the emotion such as leadership, trust, subordination, etc. which is essential for the establishment of a relationship. Within the virtual world of the video game, if the player fails to differentiate between a human player and a machine, it will be a major step towards creating intelligent machines which can function in exactly the same fashion as humankind, although in a confined sense.
The primary aim of creating the Virtual Actor is to produce an intelligent machine which is free of all sorts of human errors and flaws. It won’t be wrong to claim that in a world where extensive research is being made on chemical, biological, or genetic weapons, intelligent machines are perhaps one of the most harmless inventions of science. Such machines can significantly change our lifestyle and the way in which we perceive the world in general. This is exactly why major brands like Sony are also working on inventing a robot that has a built-in capacity to build an emotional bond.
What’s more amazing is that surveys are already showing that people are open to having intimate relationships with droids and robots provided that they are capable of offering the same pleasure and emotional connection that is offered in an intimate relationship with a human being. Considering this, it won’t be wrong to conclude that once such machines are introduced to the market which are able to feel, emotionally connect, love, and understand in the same way as human beings, the dream of science fiction, of the world where humans and intelligent machines live together and communicate and interact with each other on a regular basis, will finally be realized.
The invention of robots and intelligent machines with natural language processing has come a long way. There have been numberless hurdles that the invention has crossed and there certainly are a million more to overcome. While such machines have already taken the world by storm, it is highly exciting to wait for the Virtual Actor to finally be revealed to the world and see just how much of a human it actually turns out to be. Rest assured, if it’s anything as claimed and marketed, it will be a major step towards a whole new world where human beings and intelligent machines co-exist with each other.
Brent Morgan
Founder, Transcendent Designs LLC
Professional and media inquiries:
http://www.TranscendentDesigns.com
