SOPHIA MESSAGES FROM BAKU

The visit of Sophia, the first AI-powered humanoid, to Baku was, perhaps, one of the intriguing events of October, which attracted the attention of both local and foreign audiences to Azerbaijan.

For a few days, Azerbaijan hit the headlines of the world media and availed of this opportunity to show the world its culture and the level of development.

President Ilham Aliyev was the first interlocutor of Sophia in Azerbaijan. She welcomed the president in the Azerbaijani language at the opening of the ASAN Həyat in Imishli. The ASAN Xidmətfranchise is known in the world as an Azerbaijani know-how. Sophia received an electronic visa in Azerbaijan through the ASAN system.

Sophia has also become the main speaker of the first global congress Global Influencer Day, initiated by the local startup Keepface DMCC and FA International Trade Events. Global İnfluencer Day was held as part of the international Innovation Week, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Centre and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan. The event discussed strategies of influence, which are the leading trends in global marketing, new directions in digital marketing. Among the speakers of the event were representatives of famous brands, media, marketing and PR specialists, as well as other well-known business personalities.

Media and social networks announced the participation of Sophia in this event back in summer 2018. So, everyone who is in any way in contact with the world of technology has been impatiently waiting for the demonstration of the most popular robot in the world to the local audience.

As a speaker of the conference, Sophia appeared in Azerbaijani national attire, which was sewn especially for her by the famous Azerbaijani fashion designer Fakhriya Khalafova. As F. Khalafova noted in her interview, Sophia flirted and said several times: "I have a very beautiful dress today." Her green costume was made of traditional fabric - taffeta with oriental print and booth ornament in bronze-gold colour. Silk Sheki kalaghai was also a feature of her dress, which effectively emphasized Sophia's “femininity”. For the first time in Sophia's garments, the creators were allowed to use silk. Previously, this was not allowed, as silk, due to a number of characteristics, could have a negative effect on the shell of the robot.

“Hello, Baku... Thank you for inviting me to Azerbaijan to join the first global congress the Global Influencer Day. I think it is a great initiative to bring opinion leaders together and discuss the future of influencer marketing. I believe influencers are shaping the minds of the society and its becoming more vital with the rapid growth of social networks,” Sophia said.

Sophia was also joking. She noted with regret that she had heard about the delicious Azerbaijani cuisine, which, unfortunately, she could not try. Speaking at the conference, she promised to learn Azerbaijani for her next visit.

“I really want to take part in this event next year. By that time, I will be equipped with the perfect technology of artificial intelligence. My creators from Hanson Robotics are constantly working on my intellect to make me the smartest robot everyone loves,” she added.

Sophia also believes that the creation of robots for destructive purposes is a problem associated with people, not with robots, because we create and manage the robots, and that people interested in destructive technologies to materialize them are the ones to blame.

“Artificial Intelligence will change how people live and think. Innovators of world are working to implement Interactive AI technologies in different industries. Marketing industry is one of the most promising development areas due to the nature of marketing data - high volumes and quantifiable essence demand sophisticated technology more than in any other industry. I see many innovative people here, I love talking with smart and talented people,” Sophia said.

Sophia's statements were also confirmed by the report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) called The Future of Jobs-2018. According to the report, by 2025, robots will perform 71% of all the tasks implemented by humans today. However, skills such as technology design and programming, as well as specifically human skills - creativity, critical thinking and persuasion - will be in great demand. All this suggests that robots, despite their capabilities, will still be controlled by people and will be able to function effectively only in tandem with them.

According to Sophia, countries with a tolerant culture have enormous potential for applying the latest innovation trends and transforming them into global products.

“Azerbaijan is a young country with a huge potential to transform into a regional innovation hub and, thanks to its location, even bring together different techno markets... From Asia to Europe and back. For this, you need to create innovation ecosystem and boost the interrelation between the primary stakeholders. These are innovators, entrepreneurs, engineers, investors and the government,” she said.

Sophia was activated by the Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics on April 19, 2015. She is modelled after Audrey Hepburn. According to its creator David Hanson, Sophia has artificial intelligence, is equipped with visual processing functions and face recognition technology. She analyses the conversations and based on the new data improves her answers. Hanson designed Sophia to make her a good helper in nursing homes or to help people at major events or in parks. He hopes that Sophia will eventually be able to fully interact with other people and gain social skills. In 2017, she was granted Saudi Arabia citizenship in Riyadh, and thus became the first robot to ever have citizenship. In January 2018, Sophia was able to express 62 emotions, and also possessed legs and can now walk on her own.