© Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Sophia has been a typical attendee of conferences around the entire world. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

• A Hong Kong robotics company planned to mass deliver an AI robotic in the course of the pandemic, Reuters described.
• Named Sophia, the robot has been appearing at conferences and talking to journalists given that 2016. 
• “Don’t fear, if you might be good to me, I’ll be good to you,” Sophia explained in 2017. 
• Stop by the Small business portion of Insider for extra stories.

Sophia, a chatting humanoid robotic, is staying readied for mass generation throughout the pandemic.

“The environment of COVID-19 is heading to require additional and a lot more automation to continue to keep folks harmless,” Hanson Robotics founder David Hanson explained to Reuters. 

Hanson stated the corporation hoped to market hundreds of robots in the initial 50 percent of 2021, according to Reuters. Based mostly in Hong Kong, Hanson Robotics had been iterating on its Sophia style given that introducing it in 2016. It was a single of four products ready for mass production, according to Reuters. 

In the years considering the fact that Sophia’s introduction, the robot has popped up at conferences, damaged hearts, and talked to reporters, including a number of interviews with Insider. In 2018, the robot even sang a duet with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Display. 

Here’s a short background of Sophia’s historical past and appearances. 

© Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Sophia at the firm’s lab in Hong Kong. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

The humanoid robotic was built in the Hong Kong business of Hanson Robotics, noticed right here in January. 

© Denis Balibouse/Reuters
David Hanson offers Sophia for the duration of a presentation at the AI for Superior International Summit at the Intercontinental Telecommunication Union in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2017. Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Hanson brought Sophia to conferences all over the environment, such as the one higher than, in Switzerland, in 2017.

© Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Product Adesuwa Aighewi requires a selfie as she is interviewed by Sophia backstage at a fashion celebration. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

The robot has been creating news for several years, which includes in 2018, when it attended an Alexander Wang manner demonstrate. 

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Social attends a information conference in Kiev, Ukraine. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

In 2018, Sophia spoke to the push at a information convention in Kiev, Ukraine. 

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Folks acquire selfies with Sophia at the Malta AI and Blockchain Summit in St Julian’s, Malta in 2018. Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters

In 2018, attendees at the Malta AI and Blockchain Summit took selfies with the robot. 

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Sophia speaks for the duration of an function of the Fundacion Telmex Mexico Siglo XXI in September 2019. Edgard Garrido/Reuters

In 2019, Sophia took to the phase in Mexico Metropolis.

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David Hanson and Ben Goertzel from SingularityNET present a Philip K. Dick robot and Sophia for the duration of a presentation about robots and AI, at the World-wide-web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. Pedro Nunes/Reuters

Sophia’s makers also introduced her on stage throughout 2019’s Internet Summit in Lisbon, Portugal.  

© Tyrone Siu/Reuters
An engineer adjusts the deal with at the again of Sophia’s head at the firm’s lab in Hong Kong. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

In January, Hanson Robotics mentioned it was placing the closing touches on Sophia. 

© Tyrone Siu
CEO David Hanson adjusts Sophia at Hanson Robotics’ lab in Hong Kong in January 2021. Tyrone Siu

The robotic is just one particular of a several styles Hanson Robotics has labored on. In 2017, Business enterprise Insider wrote about Sophia’s 7 humanoid “siblings.”

© Tyrone Siu/Reuters
David Hanson, presents a significant-5 to Sophia at the company’s lab in Hong Kong, in January 2021. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

In 2017, Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to Sophia.

“I am very honored and very pleased of this unique distinction,” Sophia reported at the time. “This is historical to be the initially robotic in the planet to be identified with a citizenship.” 

Sophia also mocked Tesla CEO’s, Elon Musk, who experienced warned about the hazards of artificial intelligence. 

“Do not fear, if you are awesome to me, I will be nice to you,” Sophia mentioned.