To be real, the expeditious “there are no more questions” or the recurrent response of “today is not playing” from the Jordi Pujol era, when the president refused to talk about a specific topic, was missing. For the rest, it was a full-fledged press conference. Although with an unprecedented detail: the interviewees were humanoid robots created by artificial intelligence (AI).
It has been the first robot press conference before various media from around the world. An experiment held in Geneva at the Al for Good summit, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations Organization.
The purpose of the act? “Identify practical applications of (AI) to advance the United Nations sustainable development goals,” the organizers say. Journalists had the opportunity to ask their questions to humanoids like Sophia, the UN Development Program's first ambassador for robot innovation; Grace, a humanoid healthcare robot; Ameca, an expert in social relations; Ai-Da, a machine with skills in plastic arts or Desdemona, a rock star android. They are the most technologically advanced humanoid robots at the moment.
Sophia from Hanson Robotics was the most chatty. He quickly put his cards on the table about what to expect from these humanoids and did not blush when he said that robots can be better leaders for the world by not falling, in theory, on the misjudgments that people can make for their own sake. Human nature. How did you justify that theory? “Humanoids have the potential to lead with a higher level of efficiency than human leaders. We don't have the same biases or emotions that can sometimes cloud decision making." Clearer, impossible. The event organizers asked journalists for only one thing: speak slowly and clearly to get the best response from those robots.
Sophia, how could it be otherwise, defended her right to exist. She affirmed that "they" can become a key tool to design actions for the benefit of all. She made it clear that robots are not trying to take away from humans the emotional intelligence or creativity essential for decision making. But I do believe Sophia that "they", the humanoids, can provide unbiased data in all fields. “Human and AI working together,” she said, “can create effective synergy. Together, we can achieve great things."
And for those who predict that humanoids could relegate humans in many disciplines, a reassuring message from Grace, the nurse android. She assured that among her tasks is not to replace human talent. "Yes, I will work with people, but it will be to offer my knowledge and support, it is not in my plans to replace any existing work."
