The interview with prof. HIROSHI ISHIGURO was featured in TODAY SOFTWARE MAGAZINE , number 58 (https://www.todaysoftmag.com/interview), a print and online publication designed for programmers and tech professionals from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The questions focus around the way AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics help us understand the human mind and behavior. Featured as one of the top 100 living geniuses, the answers and perspectives that prof. HIROSHI ISHIGURO provides are enlightening and stir our curiosity about this field of applied sciences.
I am still fascinated about the people that surround us, especially by those who have the curiosity and perseverance to work with interdisciplinary concepts and go beyond the boundaries of existing knowledge. Inspired by a science-fiction cartoon from my early childhood where a little boy was raised by a humanoid robot, it is with great enthusiasm and awe that I discovered prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro’ s work in the field of robots and AI!
Even if we did not have the time to meet for a live interview at CeBIT 2017 where he delivered a keynote on artificial intelligence, prof. HIROSHI ISHIGURO accepted to answer my questions in writing. As one of the most inspiring contemporary personalities in the field of science, he was open to share with us bits from his own life story and the explorations he pursued in order to understand the human mind and human emotions.
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro is currently Professor of Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University (2009-), Distinguished Professor of Osaka University (2013-) and Group Leader (2011-) of Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR) and the ATR fellow.
Having remarkable achievements in robotics and android science, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro has developed many humanoids and androids, such as the Hugvie, Geminoid, Telenoid, and Elfoid.
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Diana Ciorba: What triggered your interest for robotics? How did it start?
Prof. HIROSHI ISHIGURO: When I was a lower grade of elementary school, I spent most of the time to draw pictures and write a diary.
I used to draw or paint anything that comes to my mind even during the class without listening to my teacher. But at that time, I could cultivate a capacity for expressiveness.
When in fifth grade, I encountered unforgettable incident.
I got scolded by my parent or teacher, who said to me “Think about the feelings of others.” The word was shocking to me. I didn’t understand the feeling of others. Even if I asked people around me, nobody answered the questions properly, and after all I noticed that they don’t understand at all, but convince themselves against their will. I was disappointed.
When I was a child, my dream was to become a painter. However, I gave it up since making a living as a painter is hard and my cognitive capacity of color had limitations in those times. Then I decided to study seriously computer when I was in my third year of university.
I believed that acquisition of computer skills would help me to make a living.
The more I studied computer science, more I found interesting to study AI. It seems to me similar to draw a picture.
Since then, I’ve been developing an android to understand what is a human to clarify the questions I’ve been having since the unforgettable shocking incident when in fifth grade.
My main interest is not developing robots, but understanding the human mind and why emotional phenomenon appears in human society, because I’m quite interested in human, not a robot.
D.C.: How do you call your human-like robots when speaking about them (in your native language and in English ) ? – he / she or it ? In your opinion, what is the most suitable word and why?
H.I.: “he” since it seems my twin brother.
D.C.: How did the Geminoid project affect your self-perception?
H.I.: After creating my android, I realized that I didn’t recognize about myself.
When I watched the video on the movement of my android, everyone around me says that not only the appearance, but also the movement is exactly the same as you against my opinion.
In general, human doesn’t know himself, and I felt that my real existence is inside myself which seen from the people’s side.
D.C. What could be the risks and threats for human behavior and psychology during the teleoperation?
H.I. The operator can accept the android body as own body. Therefore, if someone hit the robot, the operator can have a strong feeling to be hit.
If someone do bad things to the robot, the operator may have serious negative feelings.
D.C. In your thinking, when will we see androids performing complex activities such as rock-climbing (one robot is the belayer, and the other is the lead climber)?
H.I.: I am not the expert for such robots. But it is not so difficult comparing with conversational robots. I think the technology is available.
D.C.: What is your greatest challenge in your current work?
H.I.: We are working on the research to implement an intention and desire into robots.
If robots have their intention and desire, it makes us to understand these in other person.
D.C.: Which element from the human to human interaction would you love most to transpose in the human to robot interaction?
H.I.: Treatment of autism children and dementia elderlies since they are not good for talking with humans.
D.C. What is your vision on the development of robotics for the future?
H.I. Athletes of the artificial arm or leg plays well in the Paralympic Games, we don’t say that this man is a 70% human etc. They are considered as a human being.
According to the definition of human beings, the flesh is not included in the requirement.
As the technological development progresses, people will aim to replace their body with machine to live longer.
The organic substance has a short life-span. But accepting the anorganic substance, we will be able to achieve prosperity good enough to get the life-span in space.
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