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The mirror we don’t recognize ourselves in: Talking AI with Dr. Beth Singler

  • min read
    • One of many experts appearing in Tomorrow Unlocked's new audio series Fast Forward is Dr. Beth Singler, anthropologist and Junior Research Fellow in artificial intelligence at University of Cambridge. Dr. Singler (@BVLSingler) examines the social, ethical and philosophical implications of artificial intelligence and robotics. She has spoken at Edinburgh Science Festival, London Science Museum and New Scientist Live, and been interviewed by New Scientist, Forbes and the BBC. I interviewed Dr. Singler about AI and the future of work. Ken: In your work, you engage people in conversations about the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. What do people think AI is? Beth: For the public, it isn't one thing. People point to examples of AI being implemented, but it has different definitions for people. They draw presumptions from science fiction and media accounts of dangerous AI and scary robots. It's a malleable term – people say 'the algorithm' and mean AI. Many think of AI in the workplace replacing human physical work, but we see AI taking on more knowledge labor and even emotional labor. Ken: What kind of emotional tasks can AI do? Beth: We increasingly see interfaces with AI that give simulated emotional responses. AI assistants do tasks for you but pleasantly and civilly. Call center work is already highly structured and scripted – an AI assistant or chatbot can take over that pleasantry system. How workplaces implement AI will influence how we connect with other humans. Ken: Are we creating a human-machine social world we'll have to learn to interact with? Beth: Yes. We're seeing these human-machine interactions playing out in different places – in the home, workplace, and care settings. We're having to understand that relationship and teach our children to negotiate it. There are discussions on whether children should be polite when using AI assistants. We're coming up with a new social format for interactions with AI. Ken: I thought, of course you should be polite to machines – if only because one day they'll look at everything we've said and done and judge us accordingly. I want to be on the right side of them. Beth: We also see arguments that you should be civil to AI assistants because this is how we should behave to other entities, whether human or non-human – that it reflects our natures. If we aren't civil to machines, it says more about us than their needs. There are many different answers to questions of politeness to AI assistants. Ken: People find conversations with Cleverbot amusing when it asks things like, "Don't you wish you had a body?" or "What is God to you?" They don't consider Cleverbot thinks it's appropriate because a human asked IT those questions. We're looking into a strange, distorting mirror and not recognizing our reflection. Beth: Absolutely. There's a reason the Black Mirror TV series is called Black Mirror – it's a reflective surface for understanding ourselves. AI and machine responses come from data sets, and those involve biases. It's a moment to reflect, for instance, on questions of personhood before we even get to anything like artificial general intelligence (AGI) or superintelligence. Should we be civil? If we say rude or sexist things to a female AI assistant, does that matter? These questions come out again and again. I'm an anthropologist, meaning I study what humans do and think. These big questions are integral to our concept of what AI is. I've seen in my work engaging the public and seeing their sometimes hopeful, sometimes fearful responses that this will be a conversation we'll have for some time yet. Ken: I was at an airport buying a train ticket one afternoon. It was quiet, and the woman behind the counter said, "You should have been here yesterday – the automatic ticket machines had recalibrated and was giving wrong tickets. People adjust. Machines don't." I wondered if this ability to adjust is part of our relationship with machines. Beth: It's interesting how much we adjust to machines. With the airport systems that use facial recognition software, I often have to take off my glasses, change my hair or bob down. We adjust ourselves to be accepted by the system. You see this in how automation is changing the workplace. There are interviews with facial recognition software involved, so we're trying to smile more in a video interview. We're increasingly making changes to fit the machine-based system. Ken: It suggests an element of trust. Where does trust fit in our relationship with machines? Beth: Trust is key. We want to believe software that observes our responses in job interviews is fair and neutral, but we have examples where trust is let down. In the UK in 2020, an algorithm that helped grade student exam papers damaged public trust – it penalized students studying at less high-achieving schools. In my work, I see examples of people trusting too much – they have an image of a superintelligence that doesn't exist yet. Society can only trust technology it understands. Digital literacy – understanding what AI is and isn't – is key to that. Ken: We tend to understand things better as fiction. It's a way to get a grip on the world. But I get the feeling fiction's not a grip anymore, but a stranglehold. Is that fair? Beth: I enjoy science fiction accounts of AI in their many interpretations, fears and hopes. One of the hazards is a strict, negative story used too often. I'm a fan of the Terminator film franchise, but I see how dystopian imagery of robot uprisings shapes people's views of AI. And AI making crucial decisions about our future – whether we get a job or a mortgage, or how we're treated in hospital – may also be overshadowed by Terminator-like stories. Ken: And it stops us noticing when AI does good things, like in medicine and traffic control. The robots are already among us, but they don't usually walk on two legs. They're more likely to be sorting out your airplane ticket. Beth: There's a move toward making robots cuter and replicating child and animal forms to reduce those threatening associations from science fiction. Think of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator versus the therapeutic robot PARO, modeled on a baby harp seal. Ken: Is there an element of trying to make work more fun? Perhaps work becomes more like play if you have an AI assistant who helps with the emotional labor? Beth: Yes. There's a history of trying to gamify the workplace – developing 'third space' options that involve games or places where you can nap. Perhaps how we apply AI is a part of how we make the workplace more enjoyable. If our software chatted back to us, was entertaining and responded to us, it might seem less laborious. Ken: Going back to emotional labor, programs could soften the edges of work relationships, whether online or in an office – I can imagine something like an 'emotional Roomba' (robot vacuum cleaner) allowing for moments of interaction. Beth: We see examples of AI mediating between humans in conversation, like machine learning algorithms suggesting how to respond to emails or warning your tone is too harsh – softening the edges of our interactions at work is a developing space. Ken: After some emails I've had, I see the value in something like that. Beth: I also saw an application for divorced or divorcing couples helping conversations be more amicable for the benefit of any children. A machine learning algorithm warns you things like, perhaps you're being a bit sarcastic. Ken: I'm scared of an algorithm that understands sarcasm. That will be the end of humanity. Beth: There's a wonderful Tom Gauld cartoon about scientists trying to create a sarcastic bot. And the bot says to the scientist, "It's going great. This guy is a real genius." Ken: What thought about AI and the future of work would you most like people to take away? Beth: I'd like people to consider how much we should change our behavior in relation to AI in the workplace. People don't normally interact in purely rational ways. If we curtail that normal human messiness, we're not anthropomorphizing AI but robo-morphizing humans. If we make ourselves smile more to do well in an interview with facial recognition software, we limit ourselves. Although we might see AI as a human simulation, do we become a human simulation in response to AI? Listen to Tomorrow Unlocked's Fast Forward audio series for more expert views

Robots helping healthcare overcome COVID-19 challenges

  • min read
    • There's never a right time for a pandemic, but history is rich in examples of runaway infections that would have claimed myriad more lives had they happened a few years earlier. There's the contribution of air travel to fighting the 1918 flu epidemic, the newly improved and affordable iron lung, allowing ward upon ward of children to survive polio in the 1950s and today, the surge of robots in healthcare since the coronavirus pandemic began. Robots reduce opportunities for infection through person-to-person contact, allowing for more precise medical procedures and letting doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals focus their energies where they're best used. Robots sanitize hospital surfaces, deliver food and medicines to patients, and assist surgeons in performing precise movements in restricting personal protective equipment (PPE) and more. With demand for hospital beds at levels not seen before in peacetime, robots can relieve the burden on human labor of tasks like cleaning and disinfecting. As well as completing the work efficiently, robots don't – unlike humans – need variety in their work to stay focused. And with frontline health workers at high risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, robots reduce risk by acting as a shield between staff and patients. While COVID-19 dominates health headlines, emergency and elective surgeries continue. Surgeons are adapting their practices to respond to the infection risk, and robots have an answer in the operating theatre too. Delivering medicines and food with hospital robots How one hospital is using an autonomous robot to deliver medication, saving pharmacy technicians time. Hospitals started trialing the autonomous robot TUG – capable of a range of logistical tasks such as delivering food, heavy objects and linen – as early as 2011. TUG has been a huge success, with one healthcare facility estimating their 25 TUGs will perform 1,300 trips a day. TUG's makers, Aethon, report an increase in its use of 30 percent since the pandemic began. TUG's contribution to fighting COVID-19 includes tasks like delivering fresh PPE to staff and specimens to the lab, but perhaps most importantly, saving hospital staff much tiring walking at a time when they're more than rushed off their feet. Disinfecting with drones Ivan Stamatovski is Chief Technical Officer of Easy Aerial Smart Security, based in Brooklyn, US. The international aerospace and security company specializes in developing robotic systems that automate monitoring and surveillance using smart autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs,) better known as drones. Stamatovski says his business has seen a huge increase in demand for drones. They're being used to spray disinfectant and deliver food and medicines to areas without easy transport links. Easy Aerial is also building customized drones for delivering medical supplies, mostly used around Japan's islands. Overcoming hand tremors for smaller, faster surgery Based in Baltimore, US, Galen Robotics is developing a single-platform solution to aid surgeons across several surgical disciplines. They eliminate hand tremors, letting surgeons do more precise, minimally invasive surgical actions. John Hopkins University approached Galen in 2016 to commercialize their robotics research through the Robotic ENT Microsurgical System (REMS.) Since then, they've expanded on the same robotic technology. "We plan on getting Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval next year and then we'll go into sales. Medical students are currently getting training on virtual reality," says Galen's President and CEO, Bruce Lichorowic. Galen wants to offer their robots on a service model to negate healthcare institutions' high outlay costs. When offered as-a-service, they believe the greater versatility and wider application of surgical robots could spur a new demand level. These new surgical robotics come at a time when hospitals are on the lookout for game-changing technology. Combined with the as-a-service model, Galen hopes to bring surgical robots to hospitals and care centers that could not previously afford the capital and operating costs. COVID-19 brings new surgery techniques, robots follow Because of COVID-19, surgeons are now performing laryngeal surgeries with longer instruments, full face guards and a gown. All these limit a surgeon's dexterity. "We see demand for robotic solutions that improve dexterity or ability. With the Da Vinci robotic surgical assistant, one person can operate four or five laparoscopic rods alone during a surgery," says Dave Saunders, Chief Technical Officer and Co-founder of Galen Robotics. Galen believes the more patients their robots can take out of open surgery and into computer-aided minimally invasive procedures, the better for patients and practitioners. The robot memorizes the path, such as a biopsy needle entering the brain, and movements surgeons make, repeating these to avoid structures. Robots teach through experiential learning California-based ZeroUI developed an integrated experiential learning platform, Ziro, that delivers immersive learning using groundbreaking internet of things (IoT) robotics technology. Ziro can be configured and controlled using an app or hand gestures. "Plummeting hardware costs and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) have been driving an increase in robotics adoption in many industries over the last few years, but the pandemic accelerated demand in healthcare because of labor shortage and the need for touchless delivery. Robots are disinfecting areas, and delivering medicines and supplies in hospitals," says Raja Jasti, CEO and Founder of ZeroUI. Operating remotely by robot could save lives Every year in the US, some 1.4 million patients are transferred between hospitals, mostly for treatment not available where they were first admitted. These patients face significantly higher risk, staying in hospital three times as long and dying at rates nearly twice that of patients who were not transferred but received the same treatment. One US study found patient transfer between healthcare facilities costs around 6,000 US dollars by road or twice the cost by air, plus extra for each mile traveled. In future, remote control of robots and connection through 5G high-speed internet will likely become more sophisticated and ubiquitous. Robotic technology is at a 'sweet spot' in its development and adoption. The pandemic has changed our relationship to risk in social and medical settings, opening minds to technology that's ready to make lives easier. While relatively simple technology like robot cleaners and sterilizing drones let the human workforce use their skills where they're most needed, more intricate technologies like surgical robots are giving surgeons a new level of control. With robots in healthcare, we can look forward to a future of more options and reduced risks.

Autonomous or VR-controlled, this robot adapts to humans

  • min read
    • Fingers grip a kettle's handle and pour you a perfect cup of coffee. Then, they lift a suitcase, open a door and hand you a bottle of water. But this is no human assistant – under its sleek, white aluminum and plastic body, wheels shuttle this social robot to its next task. Its manipulating, gripping hands are innovative for robots. You can manage this next-gen robot's controls using virtual reality (VR.) The human behind these movements can be close or miles away. Humanoid robot EVE performs motions and actions useful in human settings. From the video promo for next-gen humanoid robot EVE, it's clear manufacturer Halodi Robotics of Norway wants to change the fast-moving robotics industry. Designing robots for human lives During our recent interview, Halodi's CEO Bernt Øivind Børnich said the company wanted to explore a different route. Launched in early 2020, the first version of EVE is designed to work with people with mobility issues or patrol areas unsafe for human guards, like nuclear waste sites or places with inhospitable weather. "We want to build robots that are safe, capable and affordable," says Børnich. "They can patrol autonomously without much human intervention. If a situation comes up, the owner can take control using a VR headset, rather than send in a human to do a dangerous task." All about robot EVE EVE is around the average height of an NFL player (6 foot 1 inches or 1.86 m,) but rather lighter at 174 pounds (less than 80 kg.) It can lift 17 pounds (8 kg) per arm and zips along at speeds of up to 14 miles (22 km) per hour. Cameras linked to Intel CPUs act as sensors that let EVE navigate its environment, whether in a home or traversing rough terrain outside a nuclear plant. EVE's face was designed to look like a robot, rather than human, face. Børnich says he was inspired by the 2008 Pixar and Disney film Wall-E: "Those eyebrows can express so much emotion, and we didn't want the robot to look too much like a human." He's no doubt aware of the 'uncanny valley' where people find robots creepy when their appearance is too human-like. Layered with AI, EVE can understand more human commands over time, as Halodi keeps feeding the software more data. So, in a home setting, someone could say, "bring me a bottle of water" and EVE will understand the command without any controller needed. EVE has been deployed for testing at the Toyota Research Institute in California, which specializes in nuclear research. A university in Norway is using the robot for research and teaching next-gen robotics. Børnich explains the next phase will bring another iteration of EVE to more pilot trials for commercial applications, including retail, in 2021. "Robots controlled by VR open many possibilities," said Darrell West, author of The future of work: Robots, AI and automation, when I interviewed him. "If they can help humans can avoid dangerous places, like minefields and extreme weather events, they can live up to the buzz." VR-controlled robots aren't new, as ABI Research analyst Rian Whitton said when I spoke to her. Notably, medical robotics let surgeons to remotely operate on patients using VR. "The more impressive innovations we've seen are in navigation [of rough terrain,] and the software stack to allow robots to work more autonomously," he adds. DaVinci robot controlled by a surgeon using toggles and buttons. Where to next for robotics? Here's the thing: robots controlled with VR aren't often in the public eye beyond healthcare and manufacturing. EVE could invite more innovations riffing of the theme of connecting these robots with more widespread applications. As Whitton noted in my interview with him, Halodi's market space is increasingly competitive and lucrative. Major players from the US, China and Europe are all vying for a piece of the 32 billion US dollar robotics industry, according to the 2020 estimates of robotics researchers ABI Research. Børnich contends what will separate winners from the 'also ran' manufacturers are general purpose robots. "The more tasks you can solve with one platform, the better positioned you are to bring more value to your customers. Look at smartphones: Before they came around, we had separate devices for GPS tech, telling the time, managing our schedules, and so on. Once you can put all that into one device and bring the cost down, everyone finds that new technology useful. It's the same with robotics." As progress in robotics accelerates, forward-thinking businesses shouldn't twiddle their thumbs on the sidelines. They should use the advancements these new technologies bring to healthcare, supply chains and everyday life. When opportunity knocks, the door should open as fast as possible.
how to spot hype

Many hats make light work: How to see the truth hidden by tech hype

  • min read
    • Hype is increasingly playing a big part in the worst decisions around technology. Investors and journalists alike fell for Elizabeth Holmes' shiny pitch for her non-existent blood testing technology Theranos. Fitness tracker Jawbone, once valued at 3 billion US dollars, was among several wearable tech firms to go spectacularly belly-up as it became clear the market wasn't as expected. Seeing past puffed-up narratives and getting to the core of claims means making more informed decisions around technology, investing in the most promising next steps and building a business strategy with concrete foundations. You needn't necessarily wade through the mountains of information we're faced with every day to spot hype. As a science and tech journalist and advisor for Innovate UK and the European Commission on start-up funding, my job is to work out what's hype and what's not. Here are six ways to hone your critical thinking and better understand the complexity, adapted from my recent book, Smoke and mirrors: How hype obscures the future and how to see past it. 1. Understand what hype is for Most people think hype is a bad thing, and it can be a problem in that it sends us along the wrong path. But there's more to it. If 'consensual' fooling is what magicians do (you go to a magic show to be fooled,) 'non-consensual' fooling is lying. Hype could be considered 'accidental fooling' – the messages are not intended to misinform, but the person receiving them can easily get the wrong end of the stick. Hype is powerful. People use it because they're keen to get out what they think are important messages. They want to grab your attention. For example, government health guidelines intend to inform society. They might use hype to ensure people receive the message loud and clear. When you remember what hype is for, you may see a message differently. Ask yourself why the communicator might use hype. Are they trying to sell something, convince you to change your behavior or to expose a problem? Think about why and how the message got in front of you when interpreting it. 2. Find the nuance Many headlines and start-up pitches include absolute statements, like "AI will revolutionize health" or "robots will replace farmers." Statements like these are shortcuts to establish a jumping-off point. They're not necessarily false and normally contain a trace of truth, but they miss out a lot in their simplicity. To find the nuance, say to yourself, "Well, it depends." You're not denying another's expertise but getting yourself into a questioning state. When you start from a place of "Well, it depends," your mind can better explore scenarios that test the statement. For example, "It depends what kind of job I have as to whether a robot will replace me." Just three words can open your mind to nuance in absolute statements. 3. Look for your fanaticism If you work in tech, you're probably a techno-optimist: Someone who believes technology is a force for good. We wouldn't have much innovation without this excitement and optimism, but we need to be conscious of where our excitement turns into fanaticism. Emotional desire can blind us to the reality of societal impact. We can build and promote things that may be harmful to those unlike us. It's more than putting ourselves into other people's shoes; it's taking a step back and asking, "Do we need this?" We know technologies can evolve and lead to related industries, becoming a problem over time. We should ask ourselves these questions in the development process to prevent unintended consequences down the line. Another question to prompt this thinking is, "If this technology were to grow in mainstream adoption, what would be the dystopian science fiction novel written about it?" 4. Wear more hats Searching for the right or wrong answer is hard when faced with a complex question like, "Is AI good or bad?" There's a lot to consider. You need to 'map' the full system of ideas somehow, know the different scenarios in which the question must be answered and draw a conclusion. A simple way to start gathering the nodes is to wear different hats, one by one. Put on your own hat. What does the question mean in your personal life or business? Then put on your supplier or your management team's hats: What does it mean in theirs? Then consider working in a country not your own, in a different industry or being someone working 50 years in the future. This is a way to remove your blinkers and so, see past the hype. 5. Work out what's curbing action Hype can make people think someone else is solving things, so they don't need to do anything. For example, in the food industry, hype around vertical farms and lab-grown meat lets us 'off the hook' of changing their habits. The 'tech will save us' mentality stops us making more considered decisions about what we eat today. We can also work out, beyond the narratives laid in front of us, what fears or cultural tendencies build ideas in peoples' minds they're unwilling to confront. For example, the phrase "We'll find a cure for cancer" exudes hope, tenacity and courage. But it also shields fear that we still have far to go, and, of course, fear of death. This fear and, in some cultures, the taboo against talking about death, means it's become anathema to question those working in this field. It feels like doubting those on the front lines. Our trust rarely wavers. It's not necessarily a bad thing – many efforts in cancer therapeutics are successful – but when anything is culturally sacred and immune to criticism, much-needed constructive ideas are stifled. Consider the culture and public sentiment around the topic you're investigating. 6. Work out who is responsible right now Hype can sometimes give us narratives that relinquish our responsibility around technology. For example, "Robots will steal our jobs." It's an easily spread and understood idea, with an element of truth, but lacks important detail. If you take away the hyped narrative, realize it's a comment on the future of automation and rephrase it to "Company executives are going to choose to replace human jobs with robotic machinery," another element becomes clear. Instead of talking about Terminator storming in to claim your job or the technological singularity and when it might be achieved, immediate discussions around responsibility, decision-making and societal economics come to the fore. We need to work out who is involved in the technology's development right now and ensure their responsibility isn't hidden beneath simplified, hyped narratives. While decision-making in business is often the hardest part of the job, spotting hype in technology – and so preventing yourself and your business from succumbing to it – needn't be difficult. When you next come across a headline you think may be hyped, following these steps will help you make better decisions.
social robots

Can social robots help us live better lives?

  • min read
    • C3PO, the Iron Giant… even The Terminator. We've been watching robots interact with humans in movies for years, but for many of us, that's all it's been: a futuristic dream. Now, after years of promises, prototypes and teasers, the era of social robots is finally here. But what are they? And how do they differ from the robots of today? Social robots are bred for interaction Robots are nothing new. They help in factories and warehouses, typically in highly structured environments with limited interactions with humans. And we're grateful for that. Social robots, however, are designed to interact with us and show social behaviors. I'll let SoftBank's Pepper introduce itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlyxg1-gE0&feature=emb_title Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) mean robotics designers and manufacturers now have the power to translate psychological and neurological insights into algorithms. These allow robots to recognize voices, faces and emotions, as well as speak, make eye contact and a host of other things that humans do with each other. There you have it: a social robot. They're a step up from droids and warehouse robots whose sole functions are task-based, and they're going to revolutionize how we live our lives. There are already 15,000 Pepper robots worldwide that are helping to check people into hotels and take customer orders at restaurants (amongst other things). But with the addition of Temi and Loomo – next-generation personal assistants, think Amazon Echo with legs – our social spheres might soon contain a bot or two. Social robots can benefit society We're already seen the impact of robotics in industries like manufacturing, government and retail. But these machines don't have the social capacity that this new wave of robots do. Here are a few of the latter's uses in business and society. Efficient eateries Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district + tech giant SoftBank = a restaurant staffed entirely by Pepper robots. Yep, it's the Pepper Parlor Café, where a group of social robots greet customers, chat with them and serve them. And there are plans for expansion. SoftBank is developing Nao and Whiz: the former will be on table dancing duties; the latter will clean the place until it's spotless. But how practical is it? You decide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U3Dhw5QiU4 Hotels for the human-phobic Keen to have as little human contact as possible? The Henn-na is the place for you – you won't find a human in the gaff. Owner Hideo Sawada said the hotel, which is part of an amusement park in the Nagasaki prefecture, was built to highlight innovation. It's staffed entirely by robots, who check customers in, take luggage to their rooms and make the beds. It's 'manned' by an English-speaking dinosaur and a Japanese-speaking female bot. Take a look for yourself. Social robots against loneliness Perhaps one of the most poignant uses in today's world. For many elderly and not so elderly, loneliness is a growing problem. In the UK, around 10 percent of Brits feel isolated, with London appointing a Minister for Loneliness in 2018. Social robots have particular appeal for assisting the world's growing elderly population. The PARO Therapeutic Robot, developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, which looks like a cuddly seal, is meant to reduce stress for patients in care facilities. Take a look for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9wj5v22KsA Then you have Mabu (Catalia Health). This social robot is more of a wellness aide, reminding the elderly to take walks and medication and to call family members. Robotic companions won't replace human interaction, but for many, these friendly jumbles of metal, plastic and synthetic fur could be extremely helpful. Social robots in space Space, I would imagine, is a lonely and potentially stressful place for an astronaut, which is why the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion (CIMON) was invented. In 2018, it flew to an international space station alongside a lucky bunch of astronauts. In the process, it became the first-ever autonomous free-floating robot at the station and the first-ever smart astronaut assistant. But what does it do? Developed by IBM, the German Aerospace Center and Airbus, CIMON serves several functions, from helping to find information and keeping track of tasks astronauts are doing on board to potentially assisting the teams in bonding. Now, CIMON-2 has burst onto the scene, promising to be the next step for social robots. According to its manufacturers, it has better hardware and software, notably the introduction of the IBM Watson Tone Analyzer. This means CIMON-2 can understand and analyze the conversations of astronauts to see how they're feeling – if they're feeling joyful, or if something makes them angry, and so on. Here it is in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE0LQ2y_-Pk But as with any new technology, the risks are fresh and need addressing before social robots reach peak uptake. As Dmitry Galov believes: Risks of social robots As with all AI-powered technologies, cybersecurity is a considerable risk; recent research by the University of Ghent and Kaspersky found no different. Although the specifics of their findings may surprise some, first things first, let's tuck into this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i58ZPRIzKsk&feature=emb_title The researchers found a new and unexpected dimension of risk associated with robotics: social impact. The research focused on the effects of a specific social robot designed to interact with humans, which they placed in two different scenarios. Robots in not-so-safe spaces In the first part of the study, the robot was placed near a secure entrance of a building in the center of Ghent. It asked staff if it could follow them through the door. (For context, usually, this area could only be accessed by certain personnel.) Not all staff complied with the robot's request, but 40 percent did unlock the door and keep it open for the robot to waltz in. Hhhmmm. Worse so, when they positioned the robot as a pizza delivery person, staff were less inclined to question why it needed access to the secure area. Interrogation bots The second part of the study focused on how easily the robot could get sensitive information typically used to reset passwords (like your dog's name). Alarmingly, with all but one participant, the robot managed to rack up personal data at the rate of one item per minute. Which goes to show, as your mother said, you shouldn't share secrets with strange robots you don't know. Well, there you have it: social robots. Whether their impact will be positive or negative remains to be seen, but we do know that they're numbers are set to grow. Worldwide sales of consumer robots are expected to grow to $19bn by the end of 2025 (from an estimated $5.6bn in 2018). If you're working in retail, healthcare or even space travel, social robots could help your business to innovate and reach the next level. But as with all new technologies, it's essential to invest heavily in making them secure and safe for public consumption. The real question is, could you see yourself living with one? (Who could say no to this face?)
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