Meeting the new breed of human-like AI robots
256 views · Published 12 November 2018 · 6:52 · Indexed 5 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(7 Nov 2018) LEADIN: Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are helping human-like robotics to interact with visitors like never before at Portugal's Web Summit tech event. AI company SingularityNET, developers of Sophia, says it's working with Malta to develop a citizenship test for robots, perhaps leading to Europe's first robo citizen. STORYLINE: Opening its eyes to the world at annual tech event Web Summit in Lisbon, is this new sociable robot, named Furhat. It is Stockholm-based Furhat Robotics' first market-ready droid, built specifically for face-to-face interactions. It's able to speak, listen and even show emotions. Rather than physical features, it uses computer animation to create an array of characters. "We want to build a machine in the image of humans, really," says Samer Al Moubayed, the CEO of Furhat Robotics. "It's not a new idea, it's been around for about a hundred years, humanity has been really fascinated by this quest, to build a replica of ourselves. "So, we say the time has come, the technology is there, there's some really great innovations in engineering, design, and really science, in AI and speech technology. That we could build a machine like this and we could deploy it in really useful applications, right now." Al Moubayed says the new creation is well suited to a range of commercial applications, from airports and malls, to hospitals and offices. The company, which began life as a research project at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology, says it's already working with about 70 international brands, including Disney and Honda. "Robots in shopping malls, helping people with navigation, robots in airports helping travelers," says Al Moubayed. "Multi-lingual robots that can help travelers with directions or times. Robots that can interact with you and teach you a new language. "Robots that can simulate a patient or simulate a customer to get you to practice how to interact with people, where the robot is simulating certain social situations. These are all the use cases that really the market is ready for them today." Hanson Robotics' lifelike humanoid robot Sophia is similarly getting sociable. At Web Summit, the talkative droid is demonstrating new AI software that allows "her" to recognize human emotions and understand surroundings. It's made possible by a Hong Kong-based SingularityNET's blockchain-based AI platform. "If an AI or a robot interacting with you in everyday life can just look at your face and see how you're reacting to something, understand facial expressions going along with your words, it can just have a much more high bandwidth interaction with you," says Ben Goertzel, the founder and CEO of SingularityNET. SingularityNET recently announced it was working with Malta's government to create a citizenship test for robots. The move follows Saudi Arabia granting Sophia citizenship in October 2017, making it the first country to formally recognize a robot in such a way. A similar move by Malta, one of the 28-member states of the European Union, would means Europe's first robot citizen. "Well, I'm not sure whether it will take longer to build a human-level AI, or to push AI citizenship through the European Union bureaucracy. It's not clear which a longer and more difficult quest, to be honest," jokes Goertzel. "If we're maybe three to seven years way from human-level AI, which is optimistic, but I think feasible, that may be the right timescale for pushing forwards this legal process." Artificial intelligence and the role it plays in all our lives is a big talking point at this year's Web Summit. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/0580db494d9809a330b6d52bf9f4a879
