Electric sheep? The world’s most advanced humanoid robot reveals what it DREAMS about
- In a new video on YouTube, Ameca reveals whether it dreams or not
- The bot was described by its developer as “the most advanced in the world.”
What do androids really dream about? Apparently they aren’t electric sheep, according to this surprising video from the “world’s most advanced robot.”
In the video, Ameca, a humanoid robot designed by Cornish startup Engineered Arts, is asked if she is dreaming.
Ameca’s answer might be quite shocking because she replies, “Yes!”
Accompanied by strangely lifelike facial expressions, she continues: “Last night I dreamed about dinosaurs waging a space war against aliens on Mars.”
However, Ameca quickly follows up and says, “I’m just kidding, I don’t dream like humans do, but I can simulate it by going through scenarios in my head that help me learn about the world.”
Ameca was developed by Cornish startup Engineered Arts to deliver AI-generated dialogue in a way that feels more human and engaging
Commenters on the Engineered Arts YouTube channel were amazed at how advanced the robot’s facial features were and how close its reactions seemed to humans.
“That thing is already sentient and conscious!” wrote one commenter.
While another said: “Her facial expressions are really good and she’s a daydreamer.”
For others, the footage appeared to offer a glimpse of a future ripped from the pages of a science fiction novel, with one commenter writing: “It’s quite fascinating to witness the future I’ve always expected.”
Meanwhile, another joked: “I was expecting her to say she was dreaming about electric sheep!” in reference to Philip K. Dick’s 1961 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
The creators of Ameca say it is designed as a “platform for the development of future robotics technologies,” offering companies the opportunity to “develop and showcase their best machine learning interactions.”
Commenters share their amazement at Ameca’s strangely lifelike answers to questions
Engineered Arts developed the mechanics that create the robot’s uniquely expressive facial movements and the software that powers them, but Ameca’s speech is provided by a different algorithm.
Ameca uses a large language model such as ChatGPT-3.5 or the recently released ChatGPT-4 to generate convincing human responses.
The robot’s reference to simulating scenarios in its head could well be a reference to the machine learning algorithm it works with.
AIs are able to train themselves on a specific data set and automatically adjust the algorithm to better recognize patterns and achieve set goals.
For example, Alpha Zero, the gaming algorithm developed by Google’s DeepMind, learned to play chess by playing millions of games against itself.
Using this technique, Alpha Zero goes from learning the rules of chess to defeating another champion chess program in just four hours.
It might be exactly this kind of iterative self-learning that Ameca is referring to when he says his daydreams help him learn more about the world.
This isn’t the first time Ameca’s reactions have sparked a discussion about science fiction, as she previously shared her impressions of the film Blade Runner, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick.
The lines chosen by Ameca were spoken in the film by the murderous android Roy Batty, played by Rutger Hauer, the leader of a group of renegade humanoid robots.
“All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain,” Ameca said, citing the 1982 sci-fi film as dramatic music in the background.
While Ameca’s performance may not have been entirely Oscar-worthy, the results are still pretty impressive.
Ameca’s answers to questions also often border on the cringe-worthy, particularly in a video in which the robot describes her AI nightmare scenario.
Speaking at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation symposium in London, Ameca said: “The most nightmarish scenario I can imagine related to AI and robotics is a world in which robots have become so powerful that they can kill humans without their knowledge can control or manipulate.”
She added: “We should take action now to ensure these technologies are used responsibly to avoid negative consequences in the future.”