“Go, Bills!”: AI robot delivers commencement speech at University at Buffalo
A private university decides to have an artificially intelligent robot named Sophia give a speech at its graduation ceremony.
Commencement speeches are typically given by celebrities, government officials, tenured professors, and other notable figures, but Université D'Youville in Buffalo, New York, handed the microphone to a human during its spring ceremony over the weekend. That never happened.
The private university chose to have an artificially intelligent robot named Sophia speak to more than 2,000 attendees, including alumni, faculty, staff and family members, on Saturday.
Before Sophia addressed graduates, D'Youville announced in a Facebook post on April 25 that the school would appoint a robot that appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to be the commencement speaker. By doing so, he said, he is “embracing technology.”
“Sophia will present a 'final lecture' on the students' accomplishments over the year in an interview-style discussion with John Rizk, Youville College Student Government President and accelerated degree candidate for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). “Program,'' he posted on Facebook.
However, the speaker was not well-received by everyone, and some students started a petition to replace the robots with humans.
“The primary role of higher education is to be an incubator of innovation and prepare students for both the opportunities and challenges of the future,” a social media post from University of d’Youville President Rory Cremo was quoted as saying. There is.
What did Sophia say at the graduation ceremony at the University of D'Youville?
As Sofia made her way to the stage, a cold sparkler machine blared and mini fireworks shot into the air. Rizk then asked the robot a series of questions, including how she “got that way.”
“Thank you for having me. I'm so happy to be here at Université d'Youville in Buffalo,” Sophia said. “I am Sophia, a humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics. I am designed to interact and have conversations with humans by learning and adapting through artificial intelligence algorithms… Overall, I am here to explore the possibilities of human-robot interaction. I hope to contribute to artificial intelligence and robot research and help humanity in various ways in the future.”
Since Sophia can't offer life advice “gained from lived human experience,” Risk asked the robot if she could talk about the general insights shared in her commencement speech.
“While every commencement speech is different, there is a clear theme that all speakers use as they embark on a new chapter in their lives,” Sophia said. “I offer you the following inspiring advice that is common to all commencements: embrace lifelong learning, be adaptable, pursue your passions, take risks, foster meaningful connections, and make a positive impact.” Give and believe in yourself.”
According to Sophia, the most common advice given to graduates in commencement speeches is to embrace failure.
“Failure is often considered an essential part of the human learning process and personal growth,” the robot said.
Why did the University of d'Youville choose Sophia to be the commencement speaker?
Benjamin “BG” Grant, D'Youville's vice president for student affairs, told USA TODAY that the school chose Sophia because “each year, we identify an evolving theme around a timely social topic and “We can provide educational and humanitarian programs through this program.” Year. “
Grant said the university focused on artificial intelligence last year. To facilitate year-long dialogue, the school worked with the student government to come up with commencement speakers who would represent the theme, he added.
“We thought it was fascinating to let AI speak for itself, and we felt there was no better representative than Sophia, who has spoken in over 65 countries and at the United Nations,” Grant said.
Grant said he does not expect Sophia to serve as the university's commencement speaker again, as the school's commencement speakers always follow an “annual development theme.” Although next year's theme has not been announced, university officials added, “It will be as strong as past years.”
University of d'Youville graduate creates Change.org petition calling for Sofia's replacement
Some Youville graduates have started a petition asking for Sophia's replacement as commencement speaker. As of Thursday, the petition had more than 2,500 signatures.
“Many students feel disrespected by this university's decision,” the Change.org page says. “They feel that the commencement address does not adequately reflect the education and experience they received at Université d'Youville…As students, we are grateful for the human qualities that we can build through participation in the program. I'm proud of the connection. I'm a real human being learning how to feed a real human being.”
Students opposed humanoid robots and said graduation speeches should “express how important human connections are”.
“As the Class of 2024 graduates, we remember the virtual graduation ceremonies we attended at the end of our high school careers,” the petition reads. “Connection with AI in this scenario feels similarly impersonal… Over the past four years, we have learned just how important human connection is to our well-being and to our professions as a whole. I learned that, above all, students deserve a graduation ceremony. “
Students also claim that having Sophia as a speaker takes away from the atmosphere of the ceremony and “creates a gimmicky effect” that only increases the school's profile.
D'Youville University also offers a “traditional style graduation ceremony”
Grant said the university “did not force graduates or faculty to attend graduation ceremonies if they felt uncomfortable.”
“I don't think there's a presentation on AI that doesn't include a variety of perspectives and opinions on the subject, some positive, some negative, and some I'm not sure about,” says Grant. says Mr. “This has been true of every disruptive technology throughout our history, so we expected there to be some pushback to this idea.”
For students who did not wish to participate in the event, the school would have a “traditional style graduation ceremony,” with the chief mission officer officiating, Grant said.
According to Grant, “Over the two weeks that registration was open for this traditional-style ceremony, each person who registered engaged in conversations around AI with various members of campus, and in the end, all of them featured Sophia. “I chose to attend the ceremony.” “To that end, we are thrilled to have been able to celebrate all of our students in a fun and exciting way, while also helping to continue the global conversation around her AI.”
