Sophia
Robot gives graduation speech to 2,000 students – and recommends blue cheese dip
Sophia is a well-known robot around the world that can theoretically have real conversations
© Johannes Simon / Getty Images
AI is currently on everyone’s lips – and the new technology is being used on an experimental basis everywhere. This often leads to strange results. It’s a shame when it happens at a university’s graduation ceremony.
Sophia is already of primary school age. The humanoid robot was introduced in 2017 and has been shown at conferences and trade fairs since then. Sophia has Saudi Arabian citizenship and is known for being able to carry on simple conversations. Things obviously look a little different when it comes to speeches.
Graduates from D’Youville University in the US state of New York felt this. There Sophia gave the closing speech and made a mistake about how the “New York Times” reports, officially.
Dressed in a university hoodie and a blue skirt, the robot was asked questions by John Rizk, the president of the student body – Sophia did not read a prepared script, but reacted spontaneously to inputs based on her artificial intelligence.
Interview with a machine
The problem: Sophia has very little life experience to share with students, so the conversation quickly turned into a flat one. However, she answered the first question about what the most common findings in graduation speeches were as expected.
“Although every commencement speech is different, there are clear themes used by all speakers as you begin this new chapter of your life,” said Sophia. “I would like to offer you the following inspirational advice that is common to all commencement ceremonies: Learn Be lifelong, be adaptable, pursue your passions, take risks, maintain meaningful connections, be a positive influence and believe in yourself.”
So far, so meaningless. In the six minutes that Sophia’s performance lasted, it was also about, for example, recognizing failures as gains in experience.
Sophia apparently doesn’t like ranch dip
At the end of the interview, Rizk asked the robot for advice on where to get the best Buffalo wings in town. “Since I don’t know what the different wings taste like, I won’t comment,” Sophia lamented, adding, “No matter where you buy chicken wings, make sure you get blue cheese and not ranch dip.”
The many platitudes were probably confirmed by the numerous critics who protested against the machine’s involvement before Sophia’s appearance. According to the university, more than 2,500 people had previously voted against Sophia online.
“I’m pleased that the students were able to experience the robot and hear what it has to say about the future,” said Dr. Lorrie Clemo, the university’s president, told the New York Times. “But I’m also pleased that the rest of the two-hour ceremony really focused on our students and their achievements.”