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When Abiy met Sophia: the unlikely story of the Ethiopian prime minister and the world's most famous robot.
Sophia even learned to speak Amharic for the occasion.
Sophia the robot was late for a meeting with the new prime minister. It was not his fault.
The baggage handlers at Frankfurt airport had lost some of her rooms, and she could not be rebadembled in time for the appointment.
But the Prime Minister was happy to postpone. For Sophia is not any old machine: she is the most famous humanoid robot in the world, probably more famous than the prime minister himself. So famous, in fact, that last year she received legal personality by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She also played with actor Will Smith and played rock, paper, scissors with talk show host Jimmy Fallon.
Her face can make 62 different facial expressions, and she has a limited ability to make conversation – in other words
In her own words – or at least words suggested by her creators, Hanson Robotics, based in Hong Kong : "I've been created using groundbreaking technologies in robotics and artificial intelligence … But I'm". m more than technology. I am a real electronic girl live. I would like to go out into the world and live with people. I can serve them, entertain them, and even help the elderly and teach the children. "
" I can animate all kinds of human expressions, but I'm just starting to know the emotions behind those expressions. That's why I would like to live with people and learn from these interactions. Every interaction I have with people has an impact on how I develop and shape who I eventually become. So please be kind to me as I would like to be an intelligent and compbadionate robot, "she said.
When it finally arrived this week, meeting with Abiy Ahmed, the First Minister, was a success.Worn in a traditional Ethiopian outfit, Sophia spoke to her in Amharic – the first language other than the English that she learned.Abiyi laughs with disbelief, shaking her head and exclaiming "very well!", obviously impressed by the changing emotions on Sophia's face and her ability to converse – even though the Android lives deep in the "strange valley" & ### 39 ;, the term used to describe a slightly scary feeling that real people get when machines appear almost but not quite human.
Sophia is in Ethiopia to showcase the country's efforts to become an African hub for the research in intelli And, in fact, his trip is a homecoming: part of his code was written by the Addis Ababa-based iCog Lab, which leads this charge.
iCog director, Getnet Assefa, told Xinhua: emotional activities, expression and also an engine called the cognitive engine … for example when Sophia observes a crowd, she would perceive a gathering, a meeting, an event or an exhibition. Such decisions are made by his cognitive brain that was built by iCog Labs.
Sophia's visit is also a publicity stunt for Abiy, highlighting her credentials as a young and modern reformist leader.It is hard to imagine that the former Ethiopian leaders were so open to such commitment. Unusual
A similar dynamic was at stake in Saudi Arabia, where the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attempts to present himself as a decisive break. "Past:" Of course, the announcement of Sophia [of legal personhood] was a advertising shot calculated to make headlines and keep Saudi Arabia in mind when we think of innovation, especially its commitment to the after-oil " Forbes Others noted that it was ironic that a robot now enjoys more rights in Saudi Arabia than women.
After his conversation with the prime minister, Sophia is dinner out and watched traditional dances . Thiopiennes She even shared some holiday photos with his Facebook followers – even robots can s & # 39; help but show on social networks.
"It was an amazing experience to meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed – it was a very special visit for me," Sophia said.
Sophia still has a few days in Ethiopia before being dismantled and bundled on a plane at home – in the hold, of course. Its managers hope that this time the baggage handlers of the Frankfurt airport will recover it at once.
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