Sophia, the famous robot and global AI icon, conquers the Zimbabwe innovation fair

Harare. From answering questions from cabinet ministers, academics and students about climate change, substance abuse and the law to queries from children about their birth and her links with God and after being described as a feminist communicator, Sophiathe world-famous robot, won hearts at an innovation fair in Zimbabwe.

With the ability to imitate facial expressions, maintain almost human conversations and recognize people’s gestures, Sophia es a global icon of artificial intelligence, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which brought it to the southern African country. She was created in 2016 by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics and obtained Saudi citizenship in 2017, becoming the world’s first female robot citizen.

It was the first time that the African country hosted a robot of its type, and it captivated young and old at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, the capital. She was there as a special guest at an event on artificial intelligence and innovation.

He smiled, frowned, used gestures to emphasize certain points, made eye contact in several one-on-one interactions, and took some unnatural pauses. He assured people that robots are not here to harm or replace humans.

But he quickly differentiated himself from humans when conversations seemed to get too personal.

I have no romantic feelings towards humans, my purpose is to learnsaid Sophiaas participants compared her to the human version of some Zimbabwean daughters-in-law known for being fiercely independent, assertive and outspoken in the largely patriarchal society.

However, she apologized when a participant reprimanded her for apparently avoiding looking at him.

Sophia She also showed patience as children and adults surrounded her to take selfies and bombarded her with questions, although she also responded with questions about what residents did to solve the problems that plague them.

Yesterday, her last day, she showed off her fashion sense. She smiled and expressed her gratitude for letting her wear the country’s national costume, a long black dress with a slit, complemented by diamond stripes in red, green and white.

I appreciate the effort to make me feel at home in Zimbabwehe pointed out. Sophia He has been to Africa before, visiting Egypt, South Africa and Rwanda.

UNDP indicated that it hoped that the commitment of Sophia inspire Zimbabwe’s youth to explore careers in the fields of AI and science, technology, engineering and mathematics.