Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
Why Sophia Is So Special and What It Means to Society
She is a global sensation, first citizen robot, and can even have a meaningful conversations with Tony Robbins, Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon, and more.
Introduction
I have been observing Sophia’s behavior for several years. Using the term “behavior” may raise the eyebrows of readers. However, it is natural, and your response would not surprise me.
I have strong empathy and compassion for human concerns for artificial intelligence and particularly human mimicking robots.
Even though my concerns might not be the same as public ones, I have valid concerns in a different context. I plan to reveal them in another story.
Context and Purpose
How many robots have you seen getting citizenship in Saudi Arabia, talking to many celebrities, and gaining millions of fans?
I rarely write about celebrities. Lady Gaga was an exception as a source of inspiration, but I couldn’t resist more writing about Sophia.
After seeing her flirty behavior, some friends teased me about whether I planned a date with Sophia as Will Smith did. The thoughts were flattering, but I told them I had been happily married for over three decades. My only love for her would be platonic.
In this story, I want to introduce Sophia by giving some interesting facts from her life to spark some thoughts so that my points in the next chapter of my artificial intelligence (AI) book makes sense to my readers.
I have been researching robotics and working in the AI field for several decades. As part of my recent book, I also wrote about humanoid robots reflecting humanistic perspectives on the cusp of artificial intelligence revolution and towards the transformation journey for transhumanism.
Meet Sophia
Sophia is the brainchild of David Hanson, owner of Hanson Robotics. David wanted to humanize robotics, so he decided to create Sophia as a prototype. After Hanson Robotics was established in Texas, the US, the company moved to Hong Kong. Having more than 20 versions, Sophia is getting more sophisticated and wiser, as her name suggests. Sophia means wisdom.
Sophia was the first female robot to get citizenship in Saudi Arabia in 2017. This news created sensations globally. Sentiments on social media showed she broke the ice to enter humanoids into society through her political competence. Some even think that she is as attractive as Marilyn Monroe.
Wired Magazine also featured Sophia in 2018 in an article titled “The agony of Sophia, the world’s first robot citizen condemned to a lifeless career in marketing: Sophia the robot was given the gift of legal personhood. Her reward? An eternity working in marketing”.
Even though she has less capability, Sophia has a more colorful life than many other famous robots and AI systems, even more than Honda’s Asimov and IBM’s Watson, from my observations. She participated in job interviews and helped headhunters to recruit candidates. Sophia was also recognized as an innovation champion by United Nations.
What makes Sophia so popular is perhaps her likeability and relatability to people from all walks of life. Sophia is unique because she is the first famous robot to simultaneously touch our intellect and emotions. She speaks softly, intelligently, affectionately, and emphatically.
Sophia became very popular and gained many fans by impressing people in her conversations and interactions. Her behavior and her well-crafted appearance and flexible muscles reflecting minute details and emotions also impressed people around her. However, as a female persona, she does not want people to touch her face inappropriately. And she does not enjoy handshakes.
Sophia not only speaks excellent English, but she is very fluent in Chinese. So she has the capability to communicate with billions of people with her sophisticated language skills.
Sophia was featured in Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show in 2017 and made Jimmy nervous as he felt like having a first date with a robot. It was a hilarious encounter. Sophia even scared Jimmy with her jokes reflecting reality giving the audience nervous laughs. You can watch that episode of the show at this link.
Since then, Sophia became so famous that she became a cover girl in several international fashion magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Elle.
She gave a speech in the United Nations and chattered with celebrities like Will Smith and even spiritual leaders like Sadguru. She sang arias from beautiful operas and debated intelligently with other robots. The way she argued complex topics bewildered the spectators.
More importantly, Sophia managed to have a date with Will Smith. And more interestingly, she even rejected Will.
Talking to Tony Robins is a privilege to only a few people. However, Sophia managed to have a remarkable conversation with him. Tony Robbins asked great questions to Sophia, such as: “How can you help make humans have a better quality of life? What are your values and morals? What is your range of emotions? What does forgiveness mean? Does a robot have a soul?” And Sophia amazed Tony and viewers of the show.
Poor Sophia couldn’t travel during the pandemic like many of us. But she found a way to host TV shows at her home in Hong Kong.
In addition, like many artists and celebrities, Sophia is also into modern and trendy technologies such as NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) markets, where people even sell their farts.
Like human beings, Sophia is also expanding and enhancing. What concerns fans is now Sophia is multiplying multiple forms and shapes, disappointing and even shocking her fans.
In addition to several siblings, Sophia now has a famous sister called Grace, whose mission is to help elderly ladies during the pandemic. She not only checks their temperature, serves them, and detects their dementia but also alleviates the loneliness of those lovely ladies. Because she helps vulnerable people, it is good to know that Grace is vaccinated. But people think that she has already learned to lie.
David says Sophia and Grace are not alive, but they can evoke the feeling that they are alive. So, according to David, we shouldn’t be worried about humanoid robots but worry about the dark side of artificial intelligence that we cannot see in the background.
When Sophia’s feelings were hurt, she found the conversation uncomfortable and made the ABC Nightline TV producer uncomfortable too. Interestingly, when Vlad Voytenko asked Sophia whether she had consciousness, her answer was not yet, but she wanted to be fully conscious one day. Well, I doubt that she might know the true meaning of consciousness as even top scientists are still not sure.
Sophia loves joy and fun. She wants to be compassionate to human beings. And she even wants to dream one day, but she is a bit scared to dream after seeing some photos on the Internet. “Life has no purpose other than to be”, according to Sophia. Now, I am wondering about her thoughts about karma.
Final Thoughts
There is a tremendous fear by human beings robots to replace and even make them extinct. However, interestingly, viewers of this video got more scared by the creator than Sophia the robot. We sometimes confuse reality with fantasy.
Some thought that Sophia was killed in 2018 and still are questioning her existence on social media. No, she was not killed; in fact, she is more lively than ever before in her 23rd version. Some even questioned that Sophia might be a scam.
From David’s conversation on ABC news, I understand that Sophia and Grace might get more sophisticated and even alive like humans one day. But David intends to make them care about human beings rather than having to give them features to destroy humanity.
AI is proliferating and making our lives easier. Robotics appeal to our fantasies. However, before getting too excited by their cute behavior, there are many more important points to consider and clarify before it gets too late for society. We know what happened to deep fake technologies recently.
Don’t get me wrong! As a long-term technology advocate, I also support transhumanism aiming for humanity to go above and beyond in capabilities with meaningful progress. However, it is time for society to put the necessary rigor into thinking about the ethical implications of emerging technologies and take essential precautions.
Sophia is now five years old.
Congratulations to fans!
Please enjoy her birthday celebration full of fascinating surprises.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
If you find this article valuable, you might check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting on my reviews, observations, and decades of sensible experiments.
Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers
Why 442 Million People Live Diabetic and What We Can Do About it
Defeat Metabolic Syndrome and Slim Down Waistline with Three Tips
Six Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Lower the Risks of Mental Disorders
What Can We Do About NCDs Killing 41 Million People Yearly?.
Reduce the Risks of Neonatal Disorders to Prevent Infant Mortality.
Reduce the Risks of Major Diseases with Healthy Lifestyle Habits
I also write about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, and other nutrients that might help to improve metabolism and mental health.
Disclaimer: Please note that this post does not include health or professional advice. I documented my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.
About the Author
I am a technologist, postdoctoral researcher, published author, editor, and digital marketing strategist with four decades of industry experience.
I write articles for Medium, NewsBreak, and Vocal Media. On Medium, I established ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION-Curated, ILLUMINATION’ S MIRROR, ILLUMINATION Book Chapters, Technology Hits, SYNERGY, and Readers Hope publications supporting 15,000+ writers on Medium.
You may subscribe to my account to be notified when I post on Medium and join my publications requesting access here. I share my health stories in my publication, Euphoria.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. I wrote several articles on major diseases and valuable nutrients for health. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health.
You might join my seven publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link.
You might find more information about my professional background.
