The performance comes days after the Moscow presentation of another Russian robot purported to harness AI – called Aidol – went wrong after the robot fell flat on its face shortly after appearing on stage.
Organisers quickly dragged the machine away, raising a black drape to shield it from about 50 journalists who had gathered to watch the demonstration, an inauspicious entry for Russia into the increasingly competitive international space of AI-powered robots resembling humans.
“At first, there was a moment of silence,” Dmitry Filonov, editor-in-chief of Edinorog Media, who was in the audience and covers technology startups, said in a text message. “Then they began to applaud to show their support.”
Vladimir Vitukhin, AIDOL’s chief executive, told Russian state news agency Tass that the robot was still in the stages of learning.
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“I hope this mistake will turn into an experience,” he said.
Vitukhin said the robot had been tested in a variety of conditions before the debut – “on stones, carpet, laminate, expanded clay and slippery floors,” according to the Moscow Times.
He said he believed Tuesday’s fall was probably the result of a voltage fluctuation and other environmental factors, including the lighting, but added: “Surely everyone felt sorry for it, and that’s one of its functions – to evoke sympathy,” the newspaper added.
Reuters, Bloomberg
