Meet the first-ever robot citizen - a humanoid named Sophia that once said it would 'destroy humans'
Hanson himself, however, believes that future is much more immediate. "The age of living androids is among us," he told Business Insider.
Sophia is the only one of its kind, however, which means it isn't for sale.
Among its fleet of robots, the product Hanson Robotics champions the most for consumer use is the Professor Einsten robot.
The 14-inch-tall personal assistant was designed to make over 50 facial expressions as users ask about the weather, traffic, and basic trivia. Jeanne Lim, chief of marketing for Hanson Robotics, told Business Insider in January that the company believes lifelike robots are the future.
Hanson has spent the bulk of 2017 touring Sophia around the world.
His mission is to get people accustomed to seeing Sophia's face and have them gain an appreciation for the advances AI has made.
"She has also become a media darling," the Hanson Robotics website explains, "having given numerous interviews to multiple media outlets, sang in a concert, and even graced the cover of one of the top fashion magazines."
Soon, Hanson will unveil other robots to join Sophia in a humanoid family, and perhaps eventually a society.
It can also bear its humanoid teeth to show anger (which, hopefully, is not directed at any of us).
And it can raise its eyebrows and frown to show sadness.
Sophia's capacity for displaying emotion is still limited. It can show happiness — sort of.
"The idea of fooling humans is not necessarily the goal," Hanson told Business Insider.
Ultimately, Hanson wants to mimic humans' capacity for love, empathy, anger, jealousy, and the sense of being alive.
His goal is to help provide answers to the questions What is life?, What is intelligence?, and What is consciousness?
A complex set of motors and gears power Sophia, enabling a range of facial expressions.
Sophia has a flesh-colored zipper running down the base of its neck, and the exposed plastic skull doesn't quite sell the illusion of humanity.
But the guts of Sophia's machinery are intriguing. Along with the mechanical systems that give Sophia the ability to "emote," the machine learning software stores bits of conversation in its memory and tries to grasp the flow of discussion to produce live answers in real-time.
"Sophia is Hanson Robotics' latest and most advanced robot," the website states.
David Hanson, a former Disney Imagineer, created the robot with the goal of helping the elderly who need personal aides and the general public at major events or parks.
"Our quest through robots like Sophia is to build the full human experience into the robots, make robots that can really understand us and care about us," Hanson told Business Insider in January .
He wants people to interact with Sophia in the same way they'd talk to a friend. Eventually, he hopes the robot can perceive the social world just as it perceives the physical world. Its current state is still a bit rough when it comes to smooth conversation.
Sophia was designed in Audrey Hepburn's image, with high cheekbones and a slender nose.
Sophia has appeared on The Tonight Show and at numerous conferences around the world, including the World Economic Forum and the "AI For Good" Global Summit.
"Sophia is an evolving genius machine," the company states on its website. "Over time, her increasing intelligence and remarkable story will enchant the world and connect with people regardless of age, gender, and culture."
Get your weekly dose of essential news delivered right to you, plus explore a world of insights with our diverse newsletter subscription options.
- Weekly newsletter
- Uncover the latest in Tech, Finance, Business, and more
- Handpicked web stories, in-depth articles, and expert analyses
Advertisement