A British humanoid named Ai-Da made history by becoming the first robot to speak in the House of Lords., but suffered a slight hiccup after “falling asleep”. There was an awkward moment early in the session when her creator, Aidan Meller, had to restart the bot, after a glitch left her cross-eyed and like a zombie.
He then fitted the robot with sunglasses, much to the bewilderment of members of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee. When asked why, Mr. Meller explained that when Ai-Da resets “it can sometimes make quite interesting faces.”
Before the brief error, the robot had been talking to the committee about if creativity is under attack by artificial intelligence (AI) and technology. When asked, “How is art produced and how is it different from what human artists produce?” Ai-Da replied, “I could use my paintings with cameras in my eyes, my AI algorithms, and my robotic arm. to paint on canvas. , which result in visually appealing images.
“How this differs from humans is consciousness. I have no subjective experiences, despite being able to talk about them. I am, and depend on, computer programs and algorithms. Even though I don’t live, I can still create art. The role of technology in the creation of art will continue to grow,” said Ai-Da.
Attendees included Baroness Gail Rebuck, President of Penguin Random House, and Lord Edward Vaizey, former MP and Minister for Culture.
Ai-Da was created in Oxford by Aiden Meller.a specialist in modern and contemporary art, before being built in Cornwall by Engineered Arts and programmed internationally. The robot’s capabilities were developed by PhD students and professors from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham.
Meller, who is the director of the Ai-Da Robot project, said: “Ai-Da challenges what it means to be an artist in a post-human world. His abilities as an artist question the foundations of the art world and the creative industries”.
Ai-Da, named after 19th century mathematician Ada Lovelace, said: “I think the creativity of machines presents a great opportunity for us to explore new ideas and ways of thinking.”
‘However, there are also risks associated with this technology that we must consider carefully. We have to think about the benefits and limitations, and consider the ethical implications.’
The female robot has already received media attention this year for painting a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II to mark the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee earlier this year. Ai Da it uses cameras in its eyes and computer algorithms to process human features and transform what it “sees” into coordinates. He then uses these coordinates to calculate a virtual path for his robotic arm, while he draws and paints on canvas to create works of art.
His piece, ‘Algorithm Queen’, was superimposed and scaled to produce the final multidimensional portrait of the monarch. Last year, she exhibited a series of ‘self-portraits’ at London’s Design Museum, which she created by ‘looking’ at herself in a mirror with the eyes of her camera. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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