AI-Enabled Robot Dog: Watch as it showcases various personalities and voices.
Watch: Creepy AI-Enabled Robot Dog Displays Multiple Personalities, Different Voices
If only dogs had created them, then we could rest assured of their loyalty.
Alas, the robotics company Boston Dynamics actually created AI-enabled robot dogs that derive their information and commands from human sources. That fact alone almost guarantees their eventual misuse.
Now, in a development sure to exacerbate what some regard as a “creepy” factor, the robot dogs can use AI to assume different personalities and speak in different voices.
In a video uploaded to YouTube last week, Boston Dynamics’ principal software engineer Matt Klingensmith demonstrated how one robot dog behaved and sounded when it assumed those personalities.
“May I have the pleasure of knowing your names?” the robot dog asked in a British accent. Engineers called this personality the “Fancy Butler.”
As it conducted a tour of the room while walking on all fours, the robot answered to the name “Spot.” It also answered Klingensmith’s questions and even expressed gratitude when the human handler complimented its accent.
“Why thank you, Mr. Matt. My linguistics have been meticulously crafted to provide an authentic British experience,” Spot said to laughter from Klingensmith.
That stilted reply, of course, hardly gives the impression of a machine capable of assuming multiple personalities.
As Klingensmith explained, however, new developments in generative AI technology have allowed Spot to create poetry.
Yes, poetry.
To demonstrate, Spot next assumed the personality “Precious Metal Cowgirl,” an imaginary prospector. While describing a pile of rocks, Spot reflected on “her” prospecting days, when she “sifted” through such rocks “looking for gold nuggets.”
Then, software engineer Radhika Agrawal asked Spot for a haiku.
“Levers, valves and wood. Robots grasp as best they could. In this tech-filled hood,” Spot replied while staying in “Precious Metal Cowgirl” character.
OK. Color me impressed.
Spot, however, had only scratched the surface of its personality-shifting capabilities.
Klingensmith proceeded to explain that at Boston Dynamics Spot functions as a tour guide. Many of the questions Spot answers, therefore, pertain to immediate physical surroundings.
“Ah, splendid. A fellow explorer with a camera. Are you here to document our thrilling journey through this technological wonderland?” Spot asked while assuming the personality of a 1920s archaeologist.
Spot then adopted the personality of a Shakespearean time traveler, and Klingensmith asked him how he enjoyed his job.
“To guide and share, in verse and tale, is a task I relish without fail. In steel and wire, my heart doth beat. In this role I find delight complete,” Spot replied.
Klingensmith explained these remarkable transformations.
“We just added one sentence like ‘You are a 1920s archaeologist,’ ‘You are a Shakespearean actor,’ ‘You are a butler,’ right? And it would come up with these crazy personalities. It would incorporate its backstory into what it was seeing, reinterpret things it was seeing. It was pretty incredible,” he said.
Incredible indeed.
One of those “crazy personalities” included a sarcastic character whom the engineers simply called “Josh.”
“Hey Spot, what else do you see?” Klingensmith asked sarcastic “Josh.”
“Well, Matt. I see the unfathomable void of my existence reflected in this QR code-filled board. Oh, and also a large window,” “Josh” replied.
Then, “Josh” delivered a haiku of his own:
“Generator hums. Low in a room devoid of joy. Much like my soul, Matt.”
OK. That defies belief. A snarky robot dog strikes me as hilarious but also a bit creepy.
Speaking of which, Spot also uses word associations to respond to questions that have no factual answer.
“One of the things we asked was, ‘Hey, can you show us your parents?’” Klingensmith recalled. “And it walked over to the old Spot exhibit and showed us Spot V. 1.”
Next, Spot assumed the personality of a teenage girl. Why an engineer would prompt a robot to do such a thing beats me.
“Like, isn’t it super cool how robots can be involved in so many industries?” Spot asked.
“Nature Documentary,” which sounded like a blend of “Fancy Butler” and “1920s Archaeologist,” rounded out the demonstrated personalities.
Klingensmith concluded with a vague yet optimistic assessment of the robots’ future utility.
“We see these AI technologies being useful in lots of environments. It’s hard to know what kind of capabilities will even be available in the next few years,” he said.
According to Business Insider, Boston Dynamics partnered with the AI software company Levatas to provide Spot with ChatGPT and other functions. Reactions to the results of that partnership, however, have varied.
Business Insider, for instance, also speculated that as Spot’s applications multiply, “maybe people will find Fancy Butler robot less creepy.”
The technology news-focused The Verge, however, described the Boston Dynamics demonstration as a “somewhat unsettling video.”
In any case, while Spot’s personalities are new, the AI function and ChatGPT are not.
In an April video posted to X engineers demonstrated the integration of ChatGPT. At that time, however, the robot dogs spoke only with a generic female-sounding voice.
The Byte, a futuristic science and technology news site, reacted to this development by noting that many people already found the robot dogs “creepy enough” and half-jokingly suggested that those dogs have brought us “one tiny step closer to the robot uprising,” a reference to the blockbuster 1984 film “The Terminator,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, in which robots became self-aware and launched a war against humans.
Philip Bump of The Washington Post also made a subtle reference to the “Terminator” theme.
“You know that robot dog that triggers lots of ‘here come our future overlords’ jokes when new videos drop? It has AI now,” Bump posted in April.
Spot’s applications, of course, will make all the difference.
Business Insider noted, for instance, that the robot dogs have been used in a Boston hospital to mitigate the dangers of close contact during the COVID scare, as well as in New Zealand for herding sheep.
On the other hand, The Verge described it as “a bit hard not to think about” Spot’s potential appeal to law enforcement and the military.
The bottom line, of course, is that any technology developed and controlled by human beings will also be abused by them.
For now, however, I am inclined to marvel at the wondrous human mind and suppress alarm in favor of humility. After all, human beings have lived on this earth for tens or hundreds of thousands of years. And only now have we managed to confer what we call “intelligence” upon something inanimate.
God, however, did that in an instant. All of that intelligence — ours and Spot’s — comes from Him.
That alone should diminish our fears.
The post Watch: Creepy AI-Enabled Robot Dog Displays Multiple Personalities, Different Voices appeared first on The Western Journal.
What concerns arise with the increasing sophistication of AI-enabled robots, particularly their ability to assume multiple personalities and interact in different voices
Ultiple poses and delivers poetic verses? It’s difficult to deny the impressive advancements in AI technology that allow robots like Spot to not only respond to human commands but also adopt different personalities and even create poetry.
The video uploaded by Boston Dynamics showcases Spot, the AI-enabled robot dog, assuming various personalities and speaking in different voices. From a “Fancy Butler” with a British accent to a “Precious Metal Cowgirl” reminiscing about her prospecting days, Spot effortlessly transitions between characters. It even surprised everyone by delivering a haiku on request.
The ability to assume different personalities is made possible by recent developments in generative AI technology, as explained by Matt Klingensmith, principal software engineer at Boston Dynamics. By adding a single sentence, such as “You are a 1920s archaeologist” or “You are a Shakespearean actor,” Spot can reinterpret its surroundings and incorporate its backstory to create unique personalities. The process involves Spot’s interpretation of what it sees and its ability to generate creative responses.
These transformations are undeniably remarkable and highlight the potential of AI technology. Spot’s ability to adapt to its surroundings and engage in playful interactions not only showcases the progress made in robotics but also hints at the possibilities that lie ahead.
However, as fascinating as these developments may be, they also raise concerns. With the increasing sophistication of AI-enabled robots, there is always the risk of their eventual misuse. While Boston Dynamics has designed Spot for tasks like being a tour guide, the fact that it can now assume multiple personalities and interact in different voices adds a whole new dimension to its capabilities.
Nevertheless, it is important to recognize and appreciate the ingenuity behind these advancements. The ability of a robot to effortlessly assume different personalities and even create poetry is truly impressive. It opens up possibilities for further exploration and innovation, allowing us to envision a future where human-like machines coexist and interact with us in truly meaningful ways.
As AI technology continues to evolve, it is crucial to ensure responsible and ethical development. While AI-enabled robots like Spot offer exciting possibilities, it is essential to consider the potential implications and safeguards that need to be in place to prevent misuse. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that these recent developments in AI technology have pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible, and we can only look forward to what the future holds in store.
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