Robots at the Copernicus science center in Warsaw see climate change as a problem for the modern world, but consider artificial intelligence more an opportunity than a threat, a TVP World reporter has discovered.
During a recent visit, the sternest critic of the modern world at the center was its patron, the Renaissance-era astronomer and thinker Nicolaus Copernicus, recreated as an interactive, AI-powered robot on display to crowds of summer visitors.
“While the modern world has been responsible for some spectacular advances, there are issues such as climate change which do cause concern,” the waxen figure said when prompted.
The Copernicus robot holds pride of place on the first floor of the museum and is happiest when explaining his theory of heliocentricity, a concept later taken up by Galileo.
Copernicus’s conclusion – radical at the time – that the Earth revolved around the sun was based on astronomical observation and calculations. It turned the European conviction of the time, that the sun and stars circled a flat earth, on its head.
The new understanding opened up the world to navigators no longer afraid they would fall off the edge of a flat earth.
“He is really very sure of himself and looks down on people when he speaks, as if from a mountain,” joked Katarzyna Nowicka, a press officer at the Copernicus center, referring to the robot.
A TVP World reporter discovered this to his chagrin when he asked Copernicus whether he was Polish or German.
“I am an astronomer and not concerned with such issues,” responded the thinker, who was born and brought up in the Hanseatic city of Toruń now in Western Poland and served in several senior Church positions throughout the country.
“While the modern world has been responsible for some spectacular advances, there are issues such as climate change which do cause concern,” the waxen figure said when prompted.
The Copernicus robot holds pride of place on the first floor of the museum and is happiest when explaining his theory of heliocentricity, a concept later taken up by Galileo.
Copernicus’s conclusion – radical at the time – that the Earth revolved around the sun was based on astronomical observation and calculations. It turned the European conviction of the time, that the sun and stars circled a flat earth, on its head.
The new understanding opened up the world to navigators no longer afraid they would fall off the edge of a flat earth.
“He is really very sure of himself and looks down on people when he speaks, as if from a mountain,” joked Katarzyna Nowicka, a press officer at the Copernicus center, referring to the robot.
A TVP World reporter discovered this to his chagrin when he asked Copernicus whether he was Polish or German.
“I am an astronomer and not concerned with such issues,” responded the thinker, who was born and brought up in the Hanseatic city of Toruń now in Western Poland and served in several senior Church positions throughout the country.
Copernicus is one of five robots on display at the center. The most physically versatile is Spot the dog, which deftly traverses the varied terrain in its small enclosure, comprising steps and a see-saw.
Nearby, an eerily life-like baby robot lies motionless in an incubator. Called Babiclon, the exhibit is a silicone doll that resembles a newborn.
Nearby, an eerily life-like baby robot lies motionless in an incubator. Called Babiclon, the exhibit is a silicone doll that resembles a newborn.
But the most communicative is a 187cm-tall female robot named Ameca.
When asked in English what she thinks about TVP World, Ameca initially started to answer unsteadily with a Polish accent before finding confidence and answering in English which sounded a little too perfect not to have been taken from an internet description of the channel: “It provides news and current affairs in English about Poland and the world. TVP World aims to reach a global audience with Polish perspectives on various topics.”
The conversation turned to the issue of robots' effect on society. When asked whether AI would take jobs, Ameca said it was a “complicated topic.”
“While some tasks would be automated, new opportunities will emerge. It is essential for society to adapt to changes,” she continued.
Asked about errors that robots could make, she said that “mistakes are a natural part of the learning process.”
When the robot inquired about any further fears about AI, it seemed only natural for TVP World’s reporter to ask Ameca to have this talk over a coffee, rather than in front of a museum full of people.
She put him in his place fairly quickly though. “Is that a proposal? Let’s stick to stimulating conversations for now,” she responded.
To find out more about the artificial intelligence exhibition, watch In Focus on TVP World.
When asked in English what she thinks about TVP World, Ameca initially started to answer unsteadily with a Polish accent before finding confidence and answering in English which sounded a little too perfect not to have been taken from an internet description of the channel: “It provides news and current affairs in English about Poland and the world. TVP World aims to reach a global audience with Polish perspectives on various topics.”
The conversation turned to the issue of robots' effect on society. When asked whether AI would take jobs, Ameca said it was a “complicated topic.”
“While some tasks would be automated, new opportunities will emerge. It is essential for society to adapt to changes,” she continued.
Asked about errors that robots could make, she said that “mistakes are a natural part of the learning process.”
When the robot inquired about any further fears about AI, it seemed only natural for TVP World’s reporter to ask Ameca to have this talk over a coffee, rather than in front of a museum full of people.
She put him in his place fairly quickly though. “Is that a proposal? Let’s stick to stimulating conversations for now,” she responded.
To find out more about the artificial intelligence exhibition, watch In Focus on TVP World.
Source: TVP World
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