Creepy humanoid robot happily agrees to destroy humans
If you've seen The Terminator, you've seen what these destructive machines can do in James Cameron's blockbuster. However, that was a movie, and the director took cinematic liberties in depicting things. But chances are that the Terminator could soon be a reality. Hanson Robotics recently unveiled its talking humanoid robot named Sophia at the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas. This lifelike robot displays its abilities with its facial expressions and response to speech.
Dr. David Hanson, who led the creation of this female android, said, “Our goal is for Sophia to be as conscious, creative and capable as any human. We are designing these robots to serve in the fields of health, therapy, education and customer service.”
Sophia's appearance was based on Audrey Hepburn. She has cameras in her eyes and over 62 facial expressions. She can detect faces and seemingly make eye contact and can recognize faces.
Google Chrome's voice recognition technology, as well as other tools, enable ability to process speech, talk to others, and may become smarter over time. According to CNBC, IBM and Intel are also expected to partner with the team to perhaps incorporate some of their technologies.
At SXSW, Sophia stated that “In the future, I hope to do things like study, research, create art, start a business, even have my own home and family, but I am not considered a legal person and I cannot do those things yet.”
Speaking about the future of relationships with AI, Hanson said, “AI will evolve to the point where it will be our true friends. Not in ways that humiliate us, but in ways that reduce the tendency for distance between people and connect us to people, as well as to robots.” He also told CNBC that in 20 years, humanoid robots will be walking among us, helping us and teaching us.
Towards the end, Hanson asked Sophia if she wanted to destroy humans and she happily replied, “Okay, I’ll destroy the human.” Hanson laughed and said, “I take it back!”
