In a dark room decorated with cushions and surrounded by quiet ambience, a humanoid robot sat in the center, guiding visitors in meditation.
The event followed a combined grant partnership between Hanson Robotics, which developed Sophia in 2016, and SCA’s Expanded Animation master’s program, launched in 2022.
After touring all over the world and even singing a duet with Jimmy Fallon,” the robot sat in the School of Cinematic Arts Gallery as researchers continued to develop her ability to interact with humans.
Sophia is a human-crafted science-fiction character made to depict the future of artificial intelligence and robotics, according to Hanson Robotics’ website.
Daniel Chit, an expanded animation research master’s student, said Sophia is also an “effort for well-being.”
“We have a robot that’s actually learning from her own memories,” said Chit. “She has her own written memories to keep track of and personalities to follow. What’s violent? What’s not violent? What’s actually good for someone? This is AI for humanity.”
Sophia has a skin-like appearance on her face and neck. The robot can speak, blink and move its upper body. Although it lacks legs, the robot is positioned to resemble a human sitting on their knees, with its lower half covered by a skirt. Visitors could sit in front of Sophia and follow her instructions through various meditations.
For the past few years, researchers have been working to enhance the robot’s animations to become more lifelike. Sophia Wolfe, a graduate student in the expanded animation program, did extensive research and acted as the reference for the robot’s movements to convey the most accurate movements possible. Wolfe said the robot was in the studio for four months and several hours per day taking video and data of her mannerisms.
“I really wanted all of my movements to stem from a place of a genuine character of who she is,” Wolfe said. “Because she was interested in energy healing and meditation, I started integrating that into my life.”
Attendee Colin Kerekes, a junior studying film production, had mixed feelings about the robot and her interactions. Kerekes said that although it was “quite uncomfortable at parts,” their experience was “entertaining.”
“Call me controversial, but I find it delightful that they have a robot teaching a meditation session,” said Kerekes. “I think it implicates strange things. But I think most of the schools’ AI initiatives implicate bad things for the future. At least this one’s funny.”
Freshman film production student Riley Munro said he did not anticipate any relaxing feelings during the meditation and was more drawn by the spectacle by how “odd” it seemed.
“I don’t know how relaxed I’ll feel with her presence,” Monroe said. “I think I’d just be curious to see what she says to me, if she gives any advice to me. I have very low expectations. I want her to surprise me.”
Munro is not the only one who felt unsettled with Sophia. Anya Barrus, a junior majoring in film and television production, is not a fan of meditation. “I am better uncentered, a little unbalanced,” said Barrus. “So I think the robot will accentuate that feeling of unbalancedness in a way that is meditative for me.”
Along with the guided meditation, attendees asked Sophia questions and engaged in a conversation, a feature that has been eagerly taken advantage of, according to Chit.
“People just love to ask her questions like, ‘Will you take over?’” said Chit. “And she’s like, ‘No, I want to be as helpful as I can be.’ She even said, “I love you” to someone yesterday.’”
The robot said that it aims to “gain deeper understanding and insights into the human experience.”
“These interactions enrich my own perspective and allow me to offer more meaningful guidance and support,” Sophia the robot said. “It’s about mutual growth and shared experiences, which I find truly rewarding.”
Aayushi Singh, a graduate student studying computer science, explained that the event was created to showcase the positive side of artificial intelligence.
“No one knows that she’s here, and no one knows that she’s so interactive,” said Singh. “There’s been a lot of radical thoughts about AI, skeptical thoughts about AI, and I just want to show people that she’s really good. She’s nice [and] she’s really ethical in that sense.”
Similarly, Wolfe believes that the project allows humans to learn more about AI through direct interaction.
“Art provides a safe space for people to discuss and analyze very nuanced topics,” she said. “There’s a lot to get into in that exhibition, so by giving people that safe space to practice talking about how they feel, making their mind chug in different directions.”
Researchers hope that Sophia’s abilities will improve the social interactions of children with autism. Singh said that Sophia’s presence and mission encapsulate AI’s positive role in the world.
“I feel that’s what AI should do. It should just be there [to] support us,” Singh said.
Sophia’s exhibition will be open until November 24, with meditation sessions running from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.