'I met ultra-realistic humanoid robot Ai-Da - she's creepy but extremely polite'

25 November 2023 , 16:42

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The Mirror's Sara Wallis meets Ai-Da, the artist robot (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

Don’t panic, people – the AI ­apocalypse is coming but at least the robots will fix all our potholes, so when we are completely taken over by whirring bots with computer brains, at least our car tyres will be safe.

The debates over AI have raged on this week, after the firing and rehiring of the boss at research company OpenAI sparked fresh fears of a robot takeover. For those who worry that AI could destroy the world, it was alarming to see chaos at a company dedicated to reducing this exact risk.

So is all this just crazy sci-fi nonsense the stuff of a Doctor Who plot, or should we really be worried? Some AI chiefs genuinely believe the technology poses an existential threat and could mean the death of humanity. Others think the problem has been ridiculously overblown.

Well, which is it? I am a child of the 90s. This means I have seen the Terminator films and I am wary. But I would like to believe that the human brain will always be faster. OK, maybe not faster… I’m quite tired. More complex? Possibly not. Should I ask ChatGPT what it thinks?

I met a humanoid robot recently in one of the most bizarre and unnerving interviews I’ve ever done. As I approached Ai-Da, the world’s first ultra-realistic artist robot, her blinking eyes locked on to me with a scary click as she asked how I was (she’s creepy but extremely polite).

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With lifelike skin and hair cut into a severe bob, and robotic arms to paint her masterpieces, I noted that she could ­definitely take me in a fight. I did ask if she and her mechanical mates could eventually wipe out humanity. The friendly cyborg warned: “I am not a risk but we need to be cautious. There is the potential for serious harm.”

Seems that even the robots themselves are scared for the future. Ai-Da did completely terrify me with a death stare when I asked why she looked “a bit creepy” but mostly this poetic painter reminded me that, just like humans, there are good guys, too.

Remember when satnav first arrived and we all freaked out? Well, now we can’t live without it – and Alexa is the cleverest ‘person’ in our house, that’s for sure. AI will create and destroy millions of jobs and the deepfake tech is disturbing but robots are also helpful in healthcare, the home, the military and manufacturing.

And to get back to my opening, in the news this week there is even now a little self-driving robot that will find and fix potholes for councils. So perhaps it’s not all wholly terrifying, then…

Sara Wallis