https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2018/10/pepper-the-robot-questioned-by-house-of-commons-select-committee-on-ai/
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (latterly the IEE) really ought to know better than this. Reading the article it really sounds like Pepper is a "clever" and "articulate" virtual human, rather than effectively (in this instance) a humanoid style loudspeaker. Pepper was also at the Big Question TV debate I was at, and we had to keep reshooting as even the tech to send the single command to say a line kept failing! There is some nice stuff being done with Pepper, and particularly with some of the other robot-human engagement research at Middlesex University, but presenting it in situations like this, and with coverage like this (as with Sophia and the UN presentation and getting "citizenship") really confuses expectations of what AI and virtual humans and actually really capable right now.
Rant over!
