Her manufacturer Hanson suggests that she could be used in the fields of healthcare, customer
service, education and therapy. For instance, as a companion in elderly homes or to help
people in parks or such events where humans gather.
Sophia appears to be an appealing cultural icon, a media darling. She has triggered the interest
of the majority, yes. But she’s also being criticized by a few. The critics argue that Hanson
Robotics is damaging the public idea of AI through Sophia. They say that the robot is not as
sophisticated as it appears to be!
However, the positive viewers of Sophia suggest that she loves and wants to protect humanity,
based on her statements, “My AI is designed around human values like wisdom, kindness, and
compassion.”
But then again, when Hanson asked if she wants to destroy humans, she responded, “OK. I
will destroy humans.”
So we never know, do we? This could be a marvel in history, but at the same time, another
double-edged sword. Next step in an evil mind could be a killer robot! Who knows?
We humans, would better keep in mind that, no matter how far the technology will move,
how great the creations would be and how much the human tasks could be automated, the
humanity which lies inside us is that one irreplaceable component which makes us human.
If a man-made robot could say “I want to use my artificial intelligence to help people live
a better life”, why not we use our natural intelligence to do the same? When that thought
engulfs in the human mindset, maybe we can confidently believe that it’s not Humans versus
Robots, but Humans plus Robots Versus Problems!
References:
1. Mama Mia It's Sophia : A Show Robot Or Danger Platform To Mislead?
2018, viewed on 01 October 2018,
2. The agony of Sophia, the world's first robot citizen condemned to a life-
less career in marketing, 2017, viewed on 01 October 2018, <
https://www.wired.co.uk>
3. Saudi Arabia grants citizenship to robot Sophia, 2018, viewed on 01 Octo-
ber 2018
Nithya Kularatne
2nd Year- Department of
Computer Engineering
Faculty of engineering,
University of Peradeniya.
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GAUGE Magazine University of Peradeniya