THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Engineering aspirants and AI fans were thrilled as ‘she’ arrived in Kerala. It was, in fact, her first appearance on campus in south India. For tech freaks, getting to meet Sophia - the world’s most advanced humanoid robot - was sort of a fan moment. And, one must say, the organisers of the recent College of Engineering - Trivandrum (CET) technical fest, ‘Drishti’, pulled off a tectonic coup by hosting her on campus for a unique ‘interaction’ over the weekend.
Draped in a sari and exhibiting her ‘navarasa’ skills, Sophia enthralled the select audience of tech heads. Holding court with her charm, the world’s first robot citizen and UN innovation ambassador enlightened the gathering on humanising AI and robotics.
Curious students, as well as teachers, got to ask the robot, created by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, questions on the future of AI. “We never expected something massive like this would happen at our campus fest,” said Kiran Sangeeth Cheriyan, a second-year student at CET. “Sophia didn’t seem like a robot. Her gestures and paralanguage were exactly like humans.”
Incidentally, Sophia herself explained that she was a combination of scientific innovation, engineering and artistry. She encouraged budding engineers and scientists to explore more about robotics, AI and design.
As the event ended with light-hearted chats with Sophia, event convener Fabi K P said: “Artificial Intelligence is the future of the world. For us, it is an honour to host an invention like Sophia. We used this opportunity to initiate several discussions, especially on the ethical aspects of AI.”