Kevin Kelly (L), Jia Jia (M), and the robot's development team leader, Professor Chen Xiaoping (R) in Hefei, Anhui Province, on April 24, 2017. (Xinhua Photo)
China's human-like robot, named Jia Jia, did a live "interview" with Kevin Kelly, a famous U.S. journalist and technology observer, on Monday.
The interview was hailed by scientific experts as "having symbolic significance" as it is the world's first interactive conversation between an "artificial intelligence (AI) reporter" and a human being.
FIRST AI REPORTER
"Jia Jia, can you sing or play me some music?" Kelly, co-founder of the tech magazine Wired, asked in a one-on-one conversation with the AI robot.
"You can get them yourself," Jia Jia answered wittily.
Wearing a traditional Chinese women's fashion, the eye-catching robot looked astonishingly realistic, and was even blinking and smiling during the entire interview.
"Do you like me?" Jia Jia asked.
"Yes," Kelly replied.
"I think so," said Jia Jia.
These conversations were conducted via Skype from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei in east China's Anhui province. Its content was not pre-arranged or designed in any way.
Kelly has been following the development of AI for years, and one of his conditions to receive Jia Jia's interview is not to control the content of their dialogue.
"It's good for Jia Jia to take up such a challenge," said Professor Chen Xiaoping, director of the Robotics Laboratory at the USTC.
"I would give her 70 points (out of a hundred) for her performance," said Chen, Jia Jia's head developer.
Chen believed Jia Jia's "interview" with Kelly had great significance for the research and development of AI robots.
"There were some delays and confusions due to the (Skype) network. Apart from that, I think the conversation was successful," Chen said, adding Jia Jia's response to some questions are quick and satisfactory.
Besides Kelly, Jia Jia had also made interactive conversations on Monday with several computer experts and media representatives, including Bart Selman, Professor of Computer Science Department of Cornell University.
"How old are you?" Selman questioned the humanoid robot, who responded in a joking tone that "Girl's age is a secret." While asked about what she is looking forward to as a robot, Jia Jia replied, "I am looking forward to Friday, my paycheck (day)."
Selman said that Jia Jia, the first AI reporter as far as he knows, could help people peek into the future of the fast growing artificial intelligence.
