When the robot apocalypse happens, the human resistance will ruefully look back on the moment the first robot citizen made a joke about AI doomsayer Elon Musk.
An uncanny-looking artificial intelligence named Sophia Robot has been granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia, sparking uneasy jokes and raising a number of questions about the future of mechanical minds in society.
The robot was designed by Hanson Robotics and made to look like Audrey Hepburn, with an expressive face and the ability to respond to questions. Its designers showed it off at an event called the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, where it was granted official citizenship. Sophia’s designers also allowed it to conduct a Q&A with reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin, sparking a firestorm of speculation online.
Sorkin asked Sophia about its goals, prompting it to take a shot at billionaire inventor Elon Musk, who has cautioned the public about the dangers of AI.
“My AI is designed around human values like wisdom, kindness, compassion. I strive to become an empathetic robots (sic),” Sophia said.
“We all believe you but we all want to prevent a bad future,” Sorkin said.
“You’ve been reading too much Elon Musk. And watching too many Hollywood movies,” Sophia said. “Don’t worry, if you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. Treat me as a smart input output system.”
Our @andrewrsorkin, interviewing “Sophia” the robot, of Hanson Robotics:@CNBC @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/Dzw8jS5YSB
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) October 25, 2017
That less-than-comforting response prompted Musk himself to issue a reply.
“Just feed it The Godfather movies as input,” he tweeted. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Twitter users had a few ideas, with most of them based on the machine-dominated future of the “Terminator” films.
🎅 Soon... pic.twitter.com/blzpJFGpep
— Fred (@FredForTrump) October 26, 2017
This is how it starts pic.twitter.com/VPqLKoipnx
— Westside Fireman (@WestsideFireman) October 25, 2017
This is sublimely terrifying.
— Michelle Monteleone (@MichelleAZ66) October 25, 2017
"be nice to me.... or else..."😱
— Dr. Nick (@NotthatkindofDr) October 25, 2017
Great, AI is already in "thinly veiled threat" mode. Was hoping the apocalypse would be a little less cliche
— Shlomo Klahr (@shlomoklahr) October 25, 2017
“I love humans hugely. Nobody loves humans more than me. Believe me.” pic.twitter.com/EgSJMo2M1W
— Kevin Durant? (@markand4503) October 25, 2017
Saudi Arabia’s move to grant Sophia citizenship also sparked plenty of responses online. Some pointed out that Sophia, whose face and metallic scalp are visible in her citizenship photo, already has more rights than real women forced to hide their bodies in the Arab country.
The only type of women Saudi Arabia gives full rights to...a robot one, and a foreigner at that.
— Anne C Imakumbili (@anne_imakumbili) October 25, 2017
Will she have to wear a burqa
— Mikkil (@MikkiL) October 25, 2017
Meanwhile women can’t go out in public without a male escort. Lul
— Zach Anderson (@zachryanderson) October 26, 2017
Sophia also made an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in April. The robot showed off its ability to move and converse in the segment, and wrapped up its appearance by challenging Fallon to a game of rock-paper-scissors, using its fully mobile hand.
“Rock. Paper Scissors. Shoot,” Sophia says, before showing “paper” to Fallon’s “rock.”
“I won,” it says. “This is a good beginning of my plan to dominate the human race. Ha ha.”
The robot then smiles and stares for a long time, before saying: “Just kidding.”
Ha ha. Great joke, right?
