This Valentine’s day, IIT (BHU) students will chit-chat with the world’s first female humanoid ‘Sophia’

• The students at Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) will have a humanoid share her experiences in 60 different expressions today (February 14) — and probably answer their questions too.
  
• Sophia — the world’s first robot citizen — will interact with the students approximately for an hour at the institute in Varanasi.
  
• The event coincides with Sophia’s birthday too. The female robot was developed in 2016 by the Hong Kong based Hanson Robotics and ‘activated’ on February 14.

This Valentine’s day, students at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) will have a humanoid share her experiences in 60 different expressions — and answer their questions too.

On the sidelines of the institute’s annual fest ‘Technex,’ Sophia — the world’s first robot citizen — will interact with the students approximately for an hour at the institute in Varanasi. This will be a first for the campus, where a robot programmed with artificial intelligence and facial expressions will converse and address the student’s unscripted questions.

“The event will witness Sophia take impromptu questions from the audience, IIT-BHU dean of students Professor B N Rai told Business Standard.

The event coincides with Sophia’s birthday too. The feminine robot was developed in 2016 by the Hong Kong based Hanson Robotics and ‘activated’ on February 14. She was first seen at the Southwest Festival in Austin, USA.

She has a social media presence, too.

In October 2017, Sophia received citizenship from Saudi Arabia. Ever since then, the humanoid citizen has delivered several talks at the Indian universities — including IIT Bombay and Banaras Hindu University. She made her debut in India in 2017 with IIT-B — where she was seen in a saree and talked on AI and contemporary global issues.

As many as 20,000 IITians will participate in the fest organized by the Science and Technology Council.