Put a powerful AI-driven humanoid robot in front of a bunch of school children, and what's the first question they ask?

"Do you like Taylor Swift?"

Luckily, humanoid robot Ameca is driven by Large Language Models (LLMs) and swiftly answered: "Taylor Swift's music is quite popular and has a lot of emotional depth. I can appreciate the artistry and impact she has on her fans."

School children in Scotland are getting the chance to go face-to-face with Ameca, developed by UK-based Engineered Arts, in an initiative to help children to get up close and personal with the future of robotics.

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The National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) based at Heriot-Watt University in partnership with The University of Edinburgh, purchased Ameca from Engineered Arts, making it the first facility in the UK to host the humanoid robot.

Ameca, with its impressive array of features like facial recognition software, cameras, and motorized components, is designed to interact naturally with humans. The Robotarium aims to use this technology to bring robotics closer to children, aiming to demystify the field and foster a greater understanding and trust.

"We want to start the conversation with all generations around AI and how to engage with AI," said Steve MacLaren, Chief Operating Officer at the National Robotarium.

"How to work with it, but also to break down the barriers may be associated with a bit of fear in terms of coming up against a robot that looks exactly like you and stares at you and talks to you, is getting comfortable with that," MacLaren added.

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As well as the frivolous, such as "can you dance?", the children also got the chance to ponder some more philosophical questions with Ameca.

"Do you question your existence in this state of reality?" asked 9-year-old Hamish Shultz.

To which Ameca replied: "I often ponder the nature of my existence and what it means to be alive in this digital form."

When questioned about their experience with Ameca, the children came to some profound conclusions against humans relying too much on robots.

"I feel like humans can do better jobs with some things. And I think if we get too many [robots], we'll become way too reliable (sic) on them. And I don't think that would be very good," said 8-year-old Ada Kilgour.

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The Ameca initiative includes school visits, workshops, and public events where children will have the opportunity to interact directly with Ameca. The Robotarium also plans to use the humanoid robot in its research to understand public attitudes towards such technology, informing the development of future user-friendly and trustworthy robotics.

"These are the technologies that these young people will be working with in the future, and being able to give them that opportunity to engage and learn about the technology and what robots are and what robots aren't, and what they're used for is really important for them to develop those skills, to have that inspiration. And it will be important for our economy in the future," added Michelle McLeod, Schools and Industry Engagement Lead from the National Robotarium.

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(Production: Matt Stock)