– Sophia, an AI robot developed by Hanson Robotics, gave the commencement speech at D’Youville University’s spring graduation ceremony in Buffalo, NY.
– Some students objected to a robot speaker and started a petition to have a human replace Sophia, arguing it was impersonal and took away from the ceremony.
– As the first AI commencement speaker, Sophia congratulated graduates and discussed common advice around embracing learning, taking risks, and believing in yourself.
– The university chose Sophia because their annual theme was AI and they wanted to further the discussion about technology. They also arranged a separate traditional ceremony for students who didn’t want the robot speaker.
– While an unusual choice, the university said Sophia represented the theme well and engaging with disruptive technology helps continued important conversations, even if there is also pushback from some graduates.
– This marked one of the first times an AI gave a college commencement speech, though the university suggested Sophia would likely not be their commencement speaker again in the future.
Source: USA TODAY
