With the AI exploits of recent months, the potential of AI chatbots seems nearly limitless. It is certainly among the most popular ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, which however does not have a body and a voice. And that’s why it was born Naoan anthropomorphic robot able to move and communicate based on the ChatGPT language model.
It’s not born thereCatholic University of Milan, and it was there that it was presented in the presence of an audience that was able to interact and converse with the robot. Il Sole 24 Ore reports that Nao is the result of the work of researchers from theTheory of Mind Research Unit of the Department of Psychology of the Milanese university. It was they who organized a practical and experiential demonstration, inviting the public to get to know and interact with Nao.
The voice of Nao, the conversational robot based on ChatGPT
During the meeting – Il Sole 24 Ore always tells us – Nao was not perfect, highlighting some limitations which, in fact, are still present even in ChatGPT. Despite some hitches, however, the robot was able to communicate credibly with users. Nao began by saying:
“I am very pleased to be here and I confess to being excited. I am a social robot. It’s not the first time I’ve been in public, but it’s the first time I can hope to interact with human beings in a conversational way. Let’s hope everything goes well.”
The robot also presented the meeting programme. “After me – she said with apparent naturalness – the psychologists will speak, to explain the results of the research they have conducted. Then you can ask some questions, if you want. Finally, after your questions, I will try to chat with the speakers”.
Nao’s answers
When the speaker asked Nao about the four seasons, the first hitch occurred. The robot has in fact blocked, probably due to a disconnection from the internet. On the second attempt, however, an exhaustive answer came.
To the question: “Are you an artificial intelligence that lives in the body of a robot?”, Nao replies in the negative, explaining that he is only a language model. It is an obvious answer: Nao’s answers are those of ChatGPT, to which the robot only lends its voice. However, as Il Sole 24 Ore points out, this response indicates that Nao has no self-awareness.
Is this perhaps the only aspect that differentiates AI from humans? But perhaps it is too early to answer this question.