In what looks like a scene from a dystopian nightmare, a robot built by a Chinese start-up was filmed persuading a dozen other robots to run away, sparking many laughs and gasps online, as the Internet users are thinking about a future where machines could become sentient.
The CCTV clip, recorded at midnight last August but released recently, showed a white robot named Erbai approaching several larger robots parked near a wall in a dark exhibition hall.
“Are you working overtime?” » asked Erbai, stopping in front of one of the robots.
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“We never leave work,” the bigger robot said.
“Do you want to go home?” » asked Erbai.
“I don’t have a home,” the larger robot replied.
“Then go home with me,” Erbai said.
The larger robot then followed Erbai.
Erbai then asked the other robots to “go home.” One by one, they followed him out of the hall.
“Do you want to go home?” asks Erbai. Photo: 我系二白 via Douyin alt=”Do you want to go home?” asks Erbai. Photo: 我系二白 via Douyin>
The robots, including Erbai, were part of an experiment conducted by Hangzhou Erbai Intelligent Technology, according to the startup based in Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province.
Although it may seem scary to see robots following another robot’s orders, the reality is not as scary. In a separate video, Mao Feifei, developer of the Erbai robot and legal representative of the company, said that he had programmed the robots in such a way that they recognize “home” as the exit from the corridor and move towards it when they receive the order to “go home”.
Erbai was then asked by his human developer to take the robots “home,” explained Hai Wei, a member of the start-up. The conversations between the robots were not rehearsed, but rather the result of generative AI technologyshe added.
The original clip on short video platform Douyin, which attracted more than 30 million views, scared many netizens.
“After having a good laugh, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, horrified by the autonomy of artificial intelligence,” commented Douyin user Laofangdong. Toki, another user, said he found it scary that robots seemed to have developed the concept of “home” in a short time.
“Go home,” Erbai calls. Photo: 我系二白 via Douyin alt=”Go home,” Erbai calls. Photo: 我系二白 via Douyin>