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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from
BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
And I’m Sam.
Do you think robots could ever
become intelligent, Sam?
Well, if you believe Hollywood movies like ‘Robocop’,
robots will grow more powerful than their
human creators and take control.
You’ve been watching too many sci-fi movies, Sam!
But seriously - do you think robots will ever be
able to think or dream? Could they fall in love or create art?
It’s hard to say but because of the huge advances
in artificial intelligence over the last ten years,
questions like these are being asked more and more.
In this programme we’ll be meeting a very
unusual ‘person’ (if that’s the right word) who
could help answer some of these questions.
She’s called Ai-Da, she’s an artist who can draw,
paint and create sculptures – and she’s a robot.
Yes, the humanoid robot, Ai-Da, uses a robotic arm
and a pencil to draw what it sees with a camera in its eye.
It’s very life-like and can even talk to the
people whose picture it’s drawing.
We’ll hear more about this extraordinary robot
and the team of inventors behind her soon,
but first I have a quiz question.
The name, Ai-Da, uses the abbreviation for ‘artificial intelligence’ -
AI - to make a woman’s first name, but which famous,
real-life Ada was the robot named after? Was it:
a) Ada Brown?,
b) Ada Lovelace? or,
c) Ada Maris?
I think it must be, b) Ada Lovelace.
OK, Sam, we’ll find out if that’s right later.
Of course building a realistic robot that can see,
hold a pencil and draw is not easy.
Behind the creation of Ai-Da was a team led by
Cornish robotics company, Engineered Arts,
and supported by engineers in Leeds who built
her robotic arms using AI systems developed at Oxford University.
Here’s chief engineer, Marcus Hold, introducing presenter, Karl Bos,
to the still unfinished Ai-Da for the first time for
BBC World Service programme, In The Studio:
It’s very strange because on first glance she looks
incredibly scary, a bit like a dystopian robot from
the future but when you see her move and
express she becomes incredibly cute.
People tend to refer to them as ‘he’ or ‘she’,
they’re drawn to the robots. So much of our
communication is non-verbal – I’m gesturing with my arms,
I’m smiling… and our robots – a big part of their appeal
and their human nature is in the way they behave
and move and it’s great that you’re picking up
on that from something that has no skin.
When Karl first meets Ai-Da he sees a wired-up
metal skull without skin. She looks like a robot from a dystopia -
an imaginary future world where
everything is bad – like the movie ‘Robocop’.
But as Karl spends more time with Ai-Da
he begins to see her move and express herself.
She smiles, blinks and uses facial expressions
and hand gestures known as non-verbal communication
to appear more human.
This human-like behaviour is part of Ai-Da’s appeal -
the quality in someone that makes them attractive
and interesting – and soon Karl is calling the
robot ‘she’ instead of ‘it’.
Former art gallery owner, Aidan Mellor, manages
the Ai-Da project. Here he is speaking to
BBC World Service’s, In The Studio,
about the complex process involved
in building a working robot:
We’ve got the programmers and researchers
working at Oxford University and Goldsmiths
and they’re doing their algorithmic programming,
programming the AI that is going to be eventually
used for the art pieces that we’re doing…
But we’ve also got a couple of guys who are
actually working on her arm – her ability to draw –
and actually getting her to do a compelling
drawing of what she sees. There’s some battles
still to be won before the show, we will eventually
hopefully iron out all the issues before that time.
One challenge the team faced was building
a robotic arm that could allow Ai-Da to draw
pictures that were compelling – exciting, interesting
and able to keep your attention.
In combining an electronic AI brain with
mechanical robot eyes and arms there were
many battles to be won – difficulties and
technical obstacles to be overcome.
And at the time of the interview, the team
still had some issues to iron out – removing problems
by finding solutions – before Ai-Da’s opening show:
an exhibition of her artwork at The Design Museum in London.
Amazing! It’s nice to think that a robot could be
the next Picasso instead of an out-of-control sci-fi policeman!
Yes, and the whole project was inspired by a real-life woman –
whose name was?
What was the answer to your quiz question, Neil?
Ah yes, I asked Sam which famous Ada was
the real-life inspiration behind the robot, Ai-Da.
I said, b) Ada Lovelace. Was I right?
You were… right, Sam! Ai-Da is named after
Ada Lovelace, the 19th century English mathematician
and first computer programmer in the world.
OK, Neil. Let’s recap the vocabulary from this
programme, starting with dystopia -
an imaginary future society where everything is bad.
Non-verbal communication is communication using
physical gestures and facial expressions instead of speech.
The appeal of something is a quality it
has which people find attractive.
If something is compelling, it holds your attention
because you find it so interesting.
A battle to be won means a problem to be
solved or an obstacle to overcome.
And finally, to iron something out means to
remove or find solutions to a problem.
With artificial intelligence improving so fast
it may not be too long before we see robot
presenters of Six Minute English!
But until Sam and I are replaced by AI we hope
you’ll join us again next time for more trending
topics and useful vocabulary,
here at BBC Learning English. Bye for now!
Goodbye!