Did you catch this a couple weeks ago? Maybe you missed this first time event? The first lady of the United States walked into a press conference accompanied by a humanoid robot. Let that sink in for a moment. We are living in some new and exciting times! Are we ready for what’s coming next? So what was that all about? Why have that happen? Let’s get into it!
What was this event about?
The entrance of the first lady and the humanoid robot was featured on the second day of the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition, which is in its first year. The goal of the Coalition is “ to help children learn, grow, and thrive through the safe and innovative use of advanced technology” according to the White House’s website.
What did the robot do?
The robot walked in with the first lady, thanked for the first lady for an invitation, introduced itself and said welcome in a number of languages.
Is that all? Why bring out the robot?
I think seeing the robot walk out was fairly impressive. There are other humanoid robots, but I had not seen a moment like the one in the White House just yet. I think the purpose of the robot demonstration was to show how advanced American technology has become. The first lady noted that AI’s future will be with humanoids as opposed to PCs or cell phones. Additionally, the first lady imagined an educational humanoid robot that could tailor lessons to a student’s learning style, which certainly is a desired feature.
Who made that robot?
Figure AI is the company responsible for the robot you saw walking with the first lady. The robot is referred to as Figure 3, as it is the third generation humanoid robot for the company. Figure AI’s website shows the robot engaging in several activities like starting a load of laundry and making a delivery.
My thoughts
I saw this as consistent with the administrations efforts to promote technology, particularly AI, in society. Since the goal of the meeting was to encourage the implementation of technology within education, I thought it would have been nice to see the robot do something more educationally directed. Maybe the organizers hoped to show that with the humanoid saying said hello in multiple languages. Either way, we should certainly be on the lookout for more humanoid robot uses being promoted. A question still remains to be answered…are we ready?
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