In the world of epic sci-fi adventures, any story would seem incomplete without artificial intelligence thrown into the mix. And as the field of robotics develops ever more rapidly, we’re getting closer and closer to bringing A.I. tech into the real world.
Our smartphones already contain virtual assistants to manage our schedules: Alexa, Siri, Cortona and Google (yup, just Google). Now A.I. robotics have upgraded to a humanoid design named Aiko, resembling the form of a rigid mannequin with distinctly Asian female features. But that upgrade didn’t come without issues.
When Leslie Bow, UW-Madison Professor of English and Asian American Studies, saw video footage of Aiko at a tech expo, she was appalled at the crowd’s poking and prodding at the defenseless robot. She now wondered how society’s treatment of this robot reflected their perspective of Asian Americans, especially women.
PNM’s Kai Brito sat down with Professor Leslie Bow to talk about how the Asian American identity became so intricately involved with artificially intelligent design.
UW-Madison College of Letters & Sciences | Artificial intelligence. Real stereotypes.
Photo Credit via Flickr user istolethetv (CC-BY)
