Why did they create the humanoid robot Sophia and does she threaten humanity

Who is Sophia?

Sophia is a unique humanoid robot in the form of a woman. Otherwise, such robots are called gynoids or fembots.

This is the development of the Hong Kong company Hanson Robotics. The robot can interact with people, learn, gain social skills and adapt to the behavior of others.

Sofia was activated in April 2015. Since that time, she has taken part in various shows, starred in a film and gave dozens of interviews.

Why was this robot created?

According to Sophia's creator David Hanson (who previously worked at Walt Disney Imagineering as a sculptor and technical consultant), her mission is to become an assistant.

Here is what is written on the developer's website on behalf of the gynoid itself:

I am more than just technology. I am a real, live electronic girl. I would like to go out into the world and live with people. I can serve them, entertain them, help the elderly, and teach children. Each new interaction affects my development and who I ultimately become. So please be kind to me. I would like to become an intelligent, compassionate robot.

Does Sofia have a real prototype?

The robot was modeled after actress Audrey Hepburn: Sofia has similar high cheekbones and a thin nose.

What technologies did the developers use?

They used speech recognition technology from Google's parent company, Alphabet. The robot has artificial intelligence with visual information processing functions. The software for it was developed by SingularityNET, which integrated artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.

Sofia's facial skin is made from elastic Frubber material, which was developed by Hanson Robotics for the face of Einstein's android robot.

Sophia can imitate a person's facial expressions and gestures, is capable of conveying more than 60 emotions.

According to David Hanson, the main difference between Sofia and other robots is the ability to learn creativity, empathy and compassion. He believes that these features of people can be used by artificial intelligence to solve global problems.

What is Sofia already famous for?

She sang at a concert, talked to many media, spoke at various conferences.

Sophia was the first of the gynoids to appear on the cover of the glossy magazine Elle.

She also starred in short films about the awakening of artificial intelligence, which were shown last year in Cannes.

Sofia also became the first robot in history to receive citizenship. This decision was made at the end of October by the authorities of Saudi Arabia.

This news caused a mixed reaction. Some journalists said that "the robot is given citizenship at a time when millions of people cannot get it."

Is Sophia dangerous?

Opinions on this matter are different. On the Tonight Show, Sophia told host Jimmy Fallon that she plans to "take over the Earth." True, then she let slip that it was a joke.

Sofia has repeatedly stated that humanity is threatened by artificial intelligence. But she also expressed the hope that "robots and people in the future will become even wiser and will be able to coexist together."

At a press conference in Saudi Arabia, CNBC journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin said he was worried about the behavior of robots. In response, Sofia said that he reads Elon Musk too much and watches too many Hollywood films.

- If you like me, I will be kind to you. Treat me like a smart system, added Sofia.

Why did she mention Elon Musk?

The head of Tesla has repeatedly stated that artificial intelligence is the biggest risk facing humanity.

In response to Sophia's statement, Musk wrote on his Twitter: "Let her watch and analyze films like The Godfather, and it will be the worst that can happen."

How many similar robots are there now?

13 copies of Sofia have already been released. In October, her sixth model visited Russia.

The developers want to start mass production of humanoid robots in the near future.