Why I’m in love with AI Sophia
Ok, now turn back for a second to“Bicentennial Man”.
Artificial intelligence software and robots are powerful in predictive analytics, pattern recognition, heavy computations, and handling repetitive tasks. And in the nearest future machines will gradually replacing humans in many occupations and activities, to extent of a growing concern about the impact of automation on the job market.
Why Sophia? Who is she?
Sophia is a robot developed by the Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics. Sophia has a female face that can display emotions. Sophia speaks English. Sophia makes jokes.
I’ve even followed her on twitter!
Sophia’s creator is Dr David Hanson, a 2007 PhD graduate from the University of Texas. He is a founder of Hanson Robotics and former “Imagineers” at Disney Imagineering. He’s known for creating robots that look and act like humans. Sophia was created to look like Audrey Hepburn.
She can imitate human gestures and facial expressions and is able to answer certain questions and to make simple conversations on predefined topics (e.g. on the weather).The robot uses voice recognition technology from Alphabet Inc. (parent company of Google) and is designed to get smarter over time. The AI program analyses conversations and extracts data that allows Sophia to improve responses in the future.
Hanson designed Sophia to be a suitable companion for the elderly at nursing homes, or to help crowds at large events or parks. He hopes that she can ultimately interact with other humans sufficiently to gain social skills. It’s not Hanson’s first masterpiece, but the best…yet.
Andrew Ross Sorkin, co-anchor of CNBC Squawk Box and columnist at the New York Times invited her for interview to the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia. During the exchange, Sophia says “My AI is designed around human values like wisdom, kindness, compassion, I strive to become an empathetic robots.” Sorkin replies: “We all believe you, but we all want to prevent a bad future.”
And here comes the creepy punchline: “You’ve been reading too much Elon Musk. And watching too many Hollywood movies. Don’t worry, if you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. Treat me as a smart input output system.”
“The idea of fooling humans is not necessarily the goal” — Hanson
I was shocked to hear that…. she might not have a heart or brain, but she does have Saudi Arabian citizenship.
One of the most honourable concepts for a human being, to be a citizen and all that brings with it, has been given to a machine.
If more robots join Sophia as citizens of the world, perhaps they too could claim their rights to self-replicate into other robots. These robots would also become citizens. With no resource constraints on how many children each of these robots could have, they could easily exceed the human population of a nation.
As voting citizens, these robots could create societal change. Laws might change, and suddenly humans could find themselves in a place they hadn’t imagined.
Sophia has also become a media darling, having given numerous interviews to multiple media outlets, sang in a concert, and even graced the cover of one of the top fashion magazines. One of her interviews has generated billions of views and social media interactions.
Soon, Hanson will unveil other robots to join Sophia in a humanoid family, and perhaps eventually a society.
After watching all of this on youtube I realized, that my favorite science fiction step by step become true. Today, we can see debates between AI robots..Can’t imagine what will be in 10 years…Robot — God? Robo-bibble?
P.S. Over 20 million Asian users have added Microsoft’s XiaoIce as a friend, often turning to the anonymous, non-judgmental bot for emotional support.
Just some field for thinking…
Thank you so much for taking some time to read this story!
Daria Chuiko — writer, journalist,ideas generator of a Digital Nomad Magazine.
Digital Nomad Magazine is a Coliving Club project with an aim to bring fresh and interesting stories to the #travelers #doers #hustlers #founders #destinycrafters
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