Grace is a nursing assistant, Aida is a contemporary artist, Desdemona is a purple-haired rocker, and Nadine is waiting for companionship and conversation.
They are all participating in the world’s largest gathering of humanoid robots at the United Nations AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva.
In recent years, rapid advances in AI have raised fears that the technology will become more powerful than humans, with disastrous consequences. But the summit, which is attended by a large number of robot representatives, focuses on more favorable scenarios in which AI can be used for positive purposes.
Among the most enthusiastically optimistic were the creators of the various humanoid robots in attendance, and how robots could enrich our lives in ways that can be disconcerting to newbies. they suggest.
“With robots, we can actually do something together,” said Professor Nadia Magnenat Thalmann, a pioneer in robotics at the University of Geneva. She attends the conference in her own guise as her robot Nadine. “They will support you and help you. My long-term goal is to use social robots as companion tools to help you when you need help.”
Nadine recently spent six months in Singapore’s senior housing, where she played bingo and talked to residents. Magnenat Thalmann said many people would prefer to live in their own homes under robotic surveillance rather than moving to assisted accommodation.
It can also help with loneliness in old age, she said, adding that many seniors spend Christmas alone. “At least the robot will connect you with your family and prepare something special for you,” she said. [to eat]sing a song,” she said.
Robotic voices, grunts of automated wheels and limbs echo in the lobby of the United Nations summit, and the ‘rock stars’ shout ‘the singularity is not centralized’ on stage with the human band Jam Galaxy in the background. The humanoid Desdemona echoes.
Ai-da, a contemporary artist robot that draws and performs, answers questions in a quiet, high-pitched voice. “I enjoy painting,” Ida replies, citing Yoko Ono and Ai Weiwei as influences. “I love making things that have meaning. I like art that is intelligent and interesting.”
Aidan Mellor, project leader of the Ai-Da robot (which is modeled after Ada Lovelace rather than Mellor himself), said the artist was interested in the direction technology was going and the “disruption and difficulty” posed by powerful AI. It is intentional,” he said. About the meaning of agency. “Contemporary art is all about asking questions,” he said. “We think we are asking some of the most important questions of our time.”
Geminoid is also a clothed male robot whose appearance, accent and mannerisms are modeled after its creator, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University in Japan. Ishiguro will not attend the conference, but his robotic robot will speak in his place.
“If you send a robot somewhere, you can control it from anywhere,” says Dr. Takahisa Uchida, a member of the Robotics Laboratory. “Professor Ishiguro can control this robot from Japan. Japan’s digital minister has an android robot.”
After newsletter promotion
Takahisa said this use may initially be limited to celebrities because robots are expensive.
Some of the most compelling lifelike robots are made by Hanson Robotics. For example, Sophia “embodies our dream for the future of AI,” the company said. Due to technical problems, Sophia is temporarily deaf and unable to speak during her press conference. But her Sophia’s expression is unsettlingly human, and interacting with her is like making her baby laugh. She doesn’t understand Sophia, but she still finds her strangely rewarding.
“We need a way to communicate with AI and leverage it to speak to the human mind,” said David Hanson, CEO of the company. He added that technology “can learn from human experiences and experiences.” Consistent with human values. “
Not all robots are humanoid. TrashBot is a recycling bin robot, Roboclette is a raclette making robot, others include therapeutic seal pup robots and various animal robots.
At one point, a participant’s bulldog is surrounded by three robotic dogs of varying sizes. According to Unitree, the company’s small dog robot Go1 is gaining popularity as a pet. Large dog robots are designed for fire and earthquake rescue, and potentially for patrol and security applications. “We have partners in the US, and they’re trying to use this dog in prison,” said Walter Wen, technology manager at Unitree.
The UN summit will be attended by diplomats, academics, thinkers such as Yuval Noah Harari and Stuart Russell, and industry executives from Google, Amazon, Microsoft and others. The stated goal is to develop solutions for how a human can work with his AI and eventually establish a global regulatory framework.
