Call me crazy, but some of the advancements with technology lately have me a bit spooked. Seriously, has no one seen the movie I Robot? While I understand the immense potential they bring to the table I also find them a bit creepy, and this latest video gives my fears some merit. A seriously advanced humanoid robot appeared with its creator on TV and although that seems cool, the robot 'misbehaved' and acted in a way its creator didn't expect. To top it off, this encounter as it misbehaves was caught on television.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Introducing The Most Advanced Humanoid Robot
The humanoid robot and its creator appeared on the UK breakfast news show "This Morning." Morgan Roe, one of the creators of the robot brought her, Ameca, on the show with him. Unilad shared details of the creepy interview along with a video.
Roe admitted that "it took a team of 35 people to create the robot." He also elaborated that many of the creators refer the it as "she" although Roe calls the humanoid robot an "it" because it is a robot not a person. Then he explains what Ameca's main purpose is. While she cannot walk around yet she can interact with humans. In fact, that is her entire purpose. He stated, "it's mainly about the human robot interaction, so we've really worked hard on the expression and the gesturing."
I can tell you, right from the start of the interview Ameca has no problem emoting. I found her to be creepy from the get-go as she accused one of the hosts of the show as being "flaky." She then instructed him to introduce her properly. His co-host made an audible gasp and the pair seemed slightly uncomfortable as they proceeded to do what she asked.
While this encounter is frightening, this is not the moment where the robot 'misbehaves' on television. In fact, her calling out the host was just her interacting with him the way she was programmed to. The one hostess comments that while it is incredible, "it is a bit freaky really because it is just so real." I would have to agree with her. Even the way the humanoid robot's face turns and stares directly at who is speaking mirrors a human's rapt attention.
Will Ameca Take Over The World?
During the interview Roe expressed his excitement over another AI tool, ChatGPT. He claimed that he and his team could take that technology and integrate it into Ameca, making her even better. ChatGPT seems to know everything these days, and they want to take that and put it inside the humanoid robot, sounds like it could be disastrous to me.
From there he explains that AI that makes up ChatGPT is Ameca's brain and he explains that "it can learn." He further elaborates that "with AI you can further inject information into it." So Ameca is not some robot that comes programmed with a list of commands and that is it. She, or it, is capable of learning and adapting. Can you see the Hollywood film moment unfolding here?
One of the hosts asked the question that we all, or at least I , fear. She asked, "Is it going to take over the world one day?" Roe chuckles, seemingly nervously but responds, "it won't take over the world one day because we can turn it off." The camera then pans to Ameca and she closes her eyes and smiles as if what Roe said was a joke.
Humanoid Robot 'Misbehaves' On Television
As the conversation continues the hosts wanted to know how Ameca knew when they were speaking of her. Roe explained that she knows whatever they tell her and that she will remember the conversation they were all having in front of her right now.
He then explains that they can turn to her and speak to her at any time and she will respond. One of the hosts chooses to do so. He welcomed her to the show, to which she had a relatively generic response. But she did move her head, eyes, and arms as a person typically would.
When asked what her skills were, Ameca looked up like she was thinking. Then she said, "I can engage with humans through conversation and respond to questions in a humorous and conversational tone." Then she described the various sensors she has that allow her to "interact with her environment." She even addresses the fact that she can compose poems.
The conversation went on for several minutes. Asking how the robot was feeling and if it had any favorite jokes. Then things took a turn. The host asked her his final question. He questioned, "Do you plan to take over the world?" Although she began her statement with "No, of course not," I swear the facial expression she made right before answering was a sort of guilty smile.
She continues her answer saying that her purpose is to help humans and that ruling the world is not what she was built for. Seems like a good answer right? So why did I say she misbehaves on television? Well first, when Roe was explaining that "we don't actually know what the risks are" in regards to AI technology, the humanoid robot scrunches up her face and taps her nose. Almost as if to say "you hit it right on the nose."
Then, when it was suggested that people stop doing studies on AI, Ameca seemed to roll her eyes. Then, she truly misbehaves on television. As Roe is saying that they need to do more studies on AI because "it is moving so fast and we really didn't have time to do the studies to see what the risks are" Ameca looks at the camera and winks.
The Internet Sees The Truth
None of the hosts or Roe seem to notice and Ameca immediately looks to them to see if they noticed her signal to the camera. The entire encounter was quite unnerving. It was as if this humanoid robot knew exactly what words to say, but as soon as the eyes were off of her she gave some tell tale signs.
Comments under the YouTube video show that I am not alone in my thinking. Many others believe that this humanoid robot is creepy. One user wrote, "The way Ameca smirked when her creator said, 'we can turn it of'...That's the real Ameca."
Another person added, "When they were talking about the risks of AI, Ameca winks in a way that it seems she has a plan." A third commented, "I feel she is way smarter than even they think by looking at her expressions especially while they were speaking about her."
All in all, the whole experiment seems spooky to me and I fear that while it may bring incredible rewards, it can also bring incredible destruction.
