In this astonishing scene of artificial intelligence, a small robot from China has shown the ability to convince larger robots to stop their labor and follow it, piquing some interest and raising certain alarms. The moment went viral on social media, with the video depicting this remarkable interaction. Reports say it unfolded in a showroom based in Shanghai and sparked intense discussions since.
Machine Conversation
The video shows the Tiny robot, Erbai, walking toward a group of larger robots. During the tete-a-tete, Erbai asks, “Are you guys working extra?”, to which one of the larger robots replies, “I never go off work.” After a very short conversation, Erbai has persuaded the larger robots to “come back home.” Following the orders, ten other robots got out of their workstations and followed Erbai out of the showroom.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO:
“Mesai mi yapıyorsun?” diye sordu küçük robot.
“Hiç işten çıkmıyorum, ki” diye cevap verdi büyük robotlardan biri.
“Yani eve gitmiyor musun?” diye sormaya devam etti minik Erbai.
“Bir evim yok,” diye yanıtladı büyük robot.
“O zaman benimle eve gel,” dedi Er Bai. Ve robotlar görev… pic.twitter.com/8N9ihuRzni— Bilge Seçkin Çetinkaya (@bilgeantigone) November 20, 2024
The Companies Talk
Erbai came from a local Hangzhou company, while bigger robots are manufactured by a Shanghai company. While most readers were in a frenzy, the companies stated it was a controlled test. However, the companies didn’t indicate whether the whole episode was programmed beforehand or spontaneously happened, leaving the audience in a cloud of uncertainty.
Public Response
There has been a furore in Chinese social media, along with a very disturbing mix of benediction and fear. While the situation seemed humorous to some, it raised questions for others about whether self-learning properties of AI might finally allow influence over machines upon instruction.
Whether a staged event or a spontaneous manifestation, it has dawned yet again upon everyone that AI capabilities are unfolding rapidly; hence, questions are being raised concerning the limitations and consequences of machine autonomy.