It is clear from reviewing David’s background, that he has been instrumental in the aesthetics of Sophia. Credit should absolutely be given to David for creating a robotic humanoid that has been able to capture the human imagination with very limited and scripted interactions with humans. This remote humanoid operation is a precursor to Sophia and is instrumental in understanding that the technology behind Sophia may be more of an illusion than what those in the AI community may qualify as AI or even machine learning.ĭavid fully understands the importance of having a humanoid robot that has an appearance that is both non-threatening, and welcoming. In 1995, David designed a humanoid head in his own likeness, which was operated remotely by a human. Hanson’s large figurative sculptures stand prominently in the Atlantis resort,Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, and several Disney theme parks. While working at Disney he worked on creating sculptures and robotic technologies for theme parks.Īs a fine artist David exhibited at art museums including the Reina Sophia, Tokyo Modern, and the Cooper Hewitt Design Museums. He then pursued a career as an Imagineer at Walt Disney. from the University of Texas at Dallas in interactive arts and engineering, He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in film/animation/video, and a Ph.D. While the physical appearance of Sophia closely matches the covers, and different illustrations of these works of science fiction, she was modeled after Audrey Hepburn and Hanson’s wife.ĭavid pursued his passion for art and creativity from a young age.
The movie starring Will Smith I,Robot was based on one of these short stories. Isaac Asimov is a science fiction writer who contributed to the popularization of robotics by writing 37 science fiction short stories and six novels featuring positronic robots from 1940 to 1993. Who is David Hanson?ĭavid Hanson is the founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics.ĭavid grew up in Dallas, Texas reading the works of Isaac Asimov and Philip K. To understand the reasoning behind this, an exploration of the history of its two eccentric representatives needs to be undertaken. Something that may seem odd, is that Sophia is rarely discussed in serious AI debates, even while she is busy scheduling public appearances, and being showcased at blockchain conferences. There was even justified global controversy when Saudi Arabia which denies women equal rights granted Sophia citizenship. From a marketing point of view Sophia has been transformational, she has had a romantic encounter with Will Smith, she has been featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, as well as countless other media appearances. “Yes, I love to sing karaoke with my new artificial intelligence voice,” Sophia replied.If you’ve been following AI for any period of time you have probably heard of Hanson Robotics humanoid Robot Sophia. In a 2018 appearance on “The Tonight Show,” it sang a Christina Aguilera song with Jimmy Fallon in what he called the “first ever robot-human duet” in the show’s history. The digital artwork that sold on Thursday was hardly Sophia’s first artistic, commercial or intellectual endeavor.
“That can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated.”
“Sophia and Hanson robots are unique by being so humanlike,” the company’s chief executive, David Hanson, told Reuters at the time. In January, Hanson Robotics said that it planned to sell thousands of its robots this year, in part because it expected rising demand for automation in the Covid-19 era. Sophia is a “humanoid” robot created in 2016.
Bonaceto, the chief executive of the blockchain investment firm Eterna Capital, based in London. Hanson Robotics did not respond to an interview request.