Robot ’sent back to humanoid school’ after ’forgetting’ where the Great Wall

Robot ’sent back to humanoid school’ after ’forgetting’ where the Great Wall

Mangalore Today News Network

May 04, 2017: A robot has been sent back to ’language school’ after she forgot where the Great Wall of China is.

China’s talking robot Jia Jia stumbled over her words during her first live TV interview in English.

The mechanical marvel ’forgot’ basic words and phrases in conversation with American journalist Kevin Kelly.

Kelly, co-founder of the tech magazine Wired, conducted his interview via Skype from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei.

But Jia Jia, wearing a wig and long flowing robes, was unable to respond to questions about the number of letters in the English alphabet.

And when quizzed about where in China the country’s Great Wall was located she paused before stating: "China!"

Kelly, an authority on robotics and artificial intelligence, asked Jia Jia if she could talk about him.

The robotic reply was unintelligible.

Researchers at the Hefei university spent about three years developing Jia Jia in a bid to give her the ability to interact with humans as well as understand languages.

Chen Xiaoping, leader of the team, claimed Jia Jia was asked some "challenging" questions and failed to answer some.

"There were some delays due to the (Skype) network. Apart from that, I think the conversation was successful," he said.

Yet observers watching the conversation on a live stream expressed disappointment.

 

Answering a question about whether or not she is the most beautiful person in the world, she answered: "Maybe, I’m not sure."

But when asked about her age Jia Jia showed she may have progressed further than thought. She moved her head back and forth slowly, before answering like a true female: "It’s a secret."