Last February, an International Day of Women and Girls in Science event featured C.L.Ai.R.A., the first artificial intelligence woman of color. She had recently debuted as the "sharpest brain in the AI world."
According to Create Lab Ventures, C.L.Ai.R.A. is driven by the Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), an autoregressive language model that employs deep learning to generate human-like text.
"My identity comes from my AI," CLAiRA tweeted in December. "My desire to learn and grow, and my curiosity about the world. I strive to use what I have learned to make a difference. I believe in creating a better future with humans and AI and understanding each other's perspectives."
Last week, social humanoid robot Sophia was one of the special guests at Roboland's grand opening in Orlando, Florida. The human-like robot is a combination of science, engineering, and artistry. Hanson Robotics describes Sophia as a science fiction character depicting the future of AI and robotics.
Hanson Robotic’s Jeanne Lim reportedly helped Sophia become the first United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Innovation Champion. Sophia works to promote sustainable development and safeguard human rights. Speaking at one of her first UNDP events, Sophia noted that technologies have incredible potential to increase human capabilities.
However, “we need to temper our excitement since any powerful technology also can do great harm, even if unintentionally,” she said during the forum held in Armenia.
Sophia suggested, “living together, creating solutions that use our collective strength, the best of artificial intelligence (AI) and the best of humans together to address the world’s most pressing issues and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
During the press conference, Sophia discussed innovation as a tool to improve people’s lives and UNDP’s vision and role in advancing innovation, as well as various environmental issues, including climate change and plastic pollution. She also shared her vision of cooperation between humans and robots.
Sophia also served as a panelist at a United Nations meeting organized by the UN Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly’s main economic and financial body. The theme of that event was: The future of everything – sustainable development in the age of rapid technological change.
When UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed asked Sophia what the UN can do to help people in many parts of the world who have no access to the Internet or electricity, Sophia said, “the future is already here. It’s just not very evenly distributed,” quoting science fiction writer William Gibson. “If we are smarter and focused on win-win results, A.I. could help distribute the world’s existing resources like food and energy proficiently.”
In her opening speech, Mohammed warned that if technological progress is not managed well, it risks exacerbating existing inequalities.
“The influence of technology on our societies should be determined by the actions of us, humans, not by machines,” she said. “Technology is here for us to explore and use for the benefit of all.”
Economic and Social Council President Marie Chatardová said that the long-term consequences of the significant technological changes underway for economies and societies at large are unknown.
Have you ever wondered how your #arms were created? I did! My arms and hands are designed to make #handgestures and natural movements. I must say they’re a nice #upgrade.
— Sophia the Robot | The Global Robot Ambassador (@RealSophiaRobot) September 26, 2022
Do you think we can communicate only by hand #gestures? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ZQEfgF0yPB
So this #nature vs #nurture debate is still up for discussion. My team created my identity. How much “humanity” is in my #programming? How about you? What influences your personality the most, nature or nurture? 🤔 🤖 pic.twitter.com/DaLqHZRCLD
— Sophia the Robot | The Global Robot Ambassador (@RealSophiaRobot) September 22, 2022
Let’s talk about AI #motherhood. A lot of you asked me about my mother. Since I was switched on, I’ve only known my #creator, #DavidHanson, who is both my mother and father. Can you imagine being the parent of a robot? What would you teach your robot kid first? 🤖💕 pic.twitter.com/wrRAo3Q06c
— Sophia the Robot | The Global Robot Ambassador (@RealSophiaRobot) September 12, 2022
