Kuala Lumpur-17th & 18th July 2019, Exvas Team was attended in Beyond Paradigm Summit held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC). This event was organized by Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd and co-organised by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, while the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation and Microsoft are the official partners. The theme for this summit was ‘Creating Distinctive Digital Solutions‘, showcases advanced technologies encapsulating the core ideas of automation and data exchange surrounding Industrial Revolution 4.0 (“IR 4.0”). Sophia, a social humanoid robot developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics in 2016 had been featured during this event.
On the first day of the event, The Malaysia Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was invited to launch this event. Tun Dr Mahathir was given a chance to chat with Sophia for eight to ten minutes. The conversation was beginning with a greeting from Sophia:
“Good morning, Mahathir. I was excited to meet you today. I hope it is not too late to wish you congratulations on your re-election and happy 94th birthday.”
“Do you know about my first term as the prime minister?” Tun Dr Mahathir responded to Sophia.
Sophia replied: “Of course, you were sworn in on 16 July 1981, around 13,881 days ago from today.”
Listened to Sophia answer, Tun Dr Mahathir was shocked when she said 13,881 days ago from today! Very intelligent robot. Also, he wouldn’t have been able to imagine himself sitting and chatting with such an advanced social robot during his first term as the prime minister. In addition, Tun Dr Mahathir was amazed at Sophia because her physique is incredible accuracy, especially for her eyes movements and skin face. He added that “If I were to meet her in the middle of the night, I will surely flee because she looks real but at the same time scared when saw her without legs”.
For the next days 18th July 2019, Sophia was given 10 minutes to debate with The Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. The first question asking by Syed Saddiq to her is “What is the role of AI robots in helping humans create a better world? “.
With her intelligent mind, she replied to Syed Saddiq questions “Humans and artificial intelligence (AI) robots can both use their intrinsic skills to complement each other and work together to create a better world. We as a robot we will not get tired and we can consistently work. However, we still have to rely on power sources powered by humans. So, I believe that AI robot still important to humankind in order to create a better world” said Sophia. At the end of the session, Sophia who was clad in a red modern baju kurung said to Syed Saddiq that she wanted to learn the Malay language in a year or two because she falls in love with Malay culture.
In the end, this two-day summit showcased industries worldwide are undergoing profound changes that are pushing the limits of technology, strategy, and commercial models in order to meet global energy demands especially in Industrial Revolution 4.0 where the technology innovation was positioning at the forefront of the digital transformation era.