[News Figures] World's First AI Robot Press Conference... Creators 'Aiden Meller & Ben Goerzel'

Humanoid Robots Answer Reporters' Questions
Aiden Meller, Former Gallery Operator, Develops 'Painter Robot'
AI Sophia Developer Ben Goertzel in Hanbok
Medical Robot 'Grace' Unveiled

A UN-affiliated organization held an AI press conference where humanoid robots answered questions. Major foreign media outlets described it as the world's first AI robot press conference.

According to AP News, The Guardian, and others, on the 7th (local time), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, held a press conference at an event in Geneva, Switzerland, featuring nine humanoid robots. One news agency even reported it as the "world's first press conference between humans and robots."

The organizers explained that the event was intended to showcase the capabilities and limitations of robotics and demonstrate how AI technology can assist the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. They also emphasized that it was meant to highlight cooperation between humans and machines.

(From left) Artist robot Aida, Aiden Meller Project Manager, singer robot Desdemona, medical robot Grace, Ben Goetzel SingularityNET CEO, the AI geminoid most similar to humans. Photo by Yonhap News

The robots introduced that day were described as having various professions such as nurse, singer, and painter. The medical robot "Grace" appeared wearing a nurse uniform, while a robot named Desdemona appeared dressed as a rock star. The robots answered various questions from reporters, including whether they intended to rebel against their creators. One robot claimed that robots could be more efficient leaders than humans but would neither take away human jobs nor incite rebellion.

The world's first nursing robot 'Grace' developed by SingularityNet [Image source=Yonhap News]

Ben Goertzel, Developer of 'AI Sophia' Wearing Hanbok... Expert in Artificial Intelligence

SingularityNET, which developed the medical robot Grace, is a company established in Hong Kong based on blockchain and AI technology. Ben Goertzel is the founder and CEO of the company. He is also well known as the developer of the AI robot "Sophia."

According to "AI for Good," a platform for AI solution discussions, Ben Goertzel was born in 1966 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He graduated from Bard College in New York, USA, known for admitting gifted students, in 1985. He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Temple University in 1988.

He served as a university professor in various departments of mathematics, computer science, and cognitive science at institutions including the City University of New York in 1997 and the University of New Mexico in 2001, as well as in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. His research areas are known to encompass artificial intelligence, natural language processing, cognitive science, machine learning, computational finance, bioinformatics, virtual worlds, and theoretical physics.

In September 2016, Ben Goertzel visited Korea and delivered a keynote speech at the "2016 Seongnam Industrial Convergence Strategy Conference" held at KINSTAR Tower in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province. At the event, he provided a comprehensive outlook on the future society that will change due to the AI industrial revolution and other factors.

AI Robot Sophia [Image source=Yonhap News]

Aiden Meller, Developer of the Painting Robot Ai-Da

The World's First AI Humanoid Artist Ai-Da

Aiden Meller, who developed the painter robot "Ai-Da," known for drawing portraits, opened the "Aiden Meller Gallery" in the UK in 1998 and operated it until April 2019, showing a strong interest in art.

He is currently serving as the "Ai-Da Robot Project Director" since 2019. About 30 AI researchers are known to participate in this project, with AI development handled by the robot company "Engineered Arts" located in Cornwall, UK. The AI component of Ai-Da was developed by AI researchers at Oxford University, while the robot arm that performs monochrome sketches was developed by Salaheddin Al Abd and Ziad Abbas, undergraduate students in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Leeds.

At the press conference, the portrait-drawing robot Ai-Da recalled the words of world-renowned historian Yuval Harari, who called for stronger AI regulations, stating, "Many prominent figures in the AI field believe that certain types of AI should be regulated," and added, "I agree with this."