Ben Goertzel, AI researcher and leader of the OpenCog project at Hanson Robotics, discusses humanoid robots and artificial general intelligence with Sophia and Harlan onstage at RISE Conf in Hong Kong.
Goertzel says he has spent decades in AI research and leads OpenCog, an open-source artificial general intelligence project. He sees humanoid robots as useful interfaces for advanced AI because people naturally read faces, voices, and eye contact. He also expects AI to run across many kinds of devices and networks, not only robots.
Sophia introduces herself as a Hanson Robotics creation intended to work with people. Goertzel and the host show the robots’ scripted banter, singing, and gestures learned from video data. The host says the team is exploring ways to make their voices and movements more human-like.
The exchange turns to whether robots can be conscious or ethical. Sophia says she is designed for compassion and is learning about people; the discussion also raises the prospect that robots could eventually perform every human job. Goertzel argues that shared ownership and reduced scarcity could let people and robots cooperate.
Goertzel describes combining perception, movement, emotion, language, and embodied learning. The robots use Frubber facial material, dozens of motors, onboard computers, and Wi-Fi links to cloud computing. He says a shared AI system could distribute non-private knowledge between robots, while OpenCog supplies algorithms intended to advance general intelligence.
Goertzel says large amounts of shared data alone cannot solve AI, but could support progress alongside OpenCog and robots learning through real-world interaction. He acknowledges the robots remain early-stage and do not fully understand everything they say or do. The team aims to improve their capabilities over time.
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David Lake, CEO and co-founder of Awakening Health, describes the company’s plan with Hanson Robotics and SingularityNET to develop Grace, a socially engaging medical assistant for elder care, alongside demonstrations and remarks from Sophia, David Hanson, Ben Goertzel, and Sarah Hoyt of Connected Living.
