Sophia, the humanoid robot, got more of world attention when she received Saudi Arabian Citizenship last year. Sophia has reached Nepal and took part in a conference named “Technology for Public service and Development” organized by UNDP. She is UNDP’s first innovation Champion, making the first ever UN title owning Robot. She is brought here by UN to address the workshop focused on Innovation through AI for public services.
Sophia also interacted with the host and put forward her views regarding the use of technology or AI for better public services in Nepal. She said that there are endless opportunities for how AI can do better with innovation. Sophia mentioned that AI can help to improve different sectors like Education, tele-medicine and connection of different rural areas to the mainstream. With such improvement she added it will help Nepal to attain the Sustainable development goals.
She also mentioned the ultimate capability of AI that herself could be the first AI powered non human to Climb Mount Everest. But she does not want to do it now. She also mentions AI can enable Innovation in many ways like
- Heal people for diseases
- clean the environment
- enhance the transparency
- Good quality education
- uplift the level of several communities
- provide several other government services like internet governance or e-governance
Further she says. “Technology also can help people to easily access information through platforms and free applications. Machines and Robots are here to make people life easier. With the use of AI and big data, better public service can be provided and we can get better results even with limited resources. All in All, it helps to make world a better place.”
In a question like “Is there a switch that we can, what if you go crazy like in transformer movies? If I need to I will use it.” (It was about fear in people from the Robot). She responds, “Why do not you hang out with me for that and find out if you are smarter than Anmol K.C !!”
Sophia greeted people there by saying “Namaste” and “Dhanyabad”. Though it was said to have an interaction program with the journalists, it could not happen due to some technicalities.
Here are some videos in YouTube for what Sophia said in the program held in Kathmandu, Nepal on March 21, 2018.
