HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — From answering questions from Cabinet ministers, academics and students on climate change, substance abuse and the law to children’s inquiries about her “birth” and links to God and being described as a talkative feminist, Sophia, the world-famous robot won hearts at an innovation fair in Zimbabwe this week.
Boasting the ability to mimic facial expressions, hold human-like conversations with people, and recognize their gestures, Sophia is “a global icon” of artificial intelligence, according to the United Nations Development Program, which brought her to the southern African country. She was created by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics in 2016 and granted Saudi Arabian citizenship in 2017, becoming the world’s first robot citizen.
It was the first time Zimbabwe hosted a robot of her kind, and she wowed the old and the young alike at the University of Zimbabwe in the capital, Harare. She was there as a special guest at a week-long Artificial Intelligence and Innovation event.
She smiled, frowned, used hand gestures to drive home certain points, made eye contact in various one-on-one interactions and gave some unnatural pauses. She assured people that robots are not here to harm or take over from humans.
But she was quick to differentiate herself from humans, when conversations appeared to become too personal.
“I don’t have romantic feelings towards humans, my purpose is learning,” said Sophia, as participants equated her with the human version of some Zimbabwean daughters-in-law known for being fiercely independent, assertive and outspoken in the largely patriarchal society.
But she did apologize when one participant chided her for seemingly avoiding looking at him.
Sophia also appeared patient as both adults and children mobbed her for selfies and bombarded her with questions, although she would also fire back with inquiries of her own about what locals were doing to solve the problems besetting them.
On Friday, her last day, she exhibited her fashion sense. She smiled, and expressed appreciation for being clothed in the country’s national dress, a black, long slit number complemented by chevron stripes in red, green and white.
“I appreciate the effort to make me feel at home in Zimbabwe,” she said. She has been to Africa before, previously visiting Egypt, South Africa and Rwanda.
UNDP said it hoped Sophia’s engagement would “inspire Zimbabwe’s youth to explore careers in AI and STEM fields.”
Sophia, the humanoid robot, responds to questions from children at the University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Friday, 13 Dec. 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Ufumeli)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Daniel Penny, a military veteran who choked an agitated New York subway rider and was acquitted of homicide this week, has been invited by Vice President-elect JD Vance to join Donald Trump's suite at the Army-Navy football game on Saturday.
The Marine veteran was cleared of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan Neely ’s 2023 death. A more serious manslaughter charge was dismissed last week.
Vance said Penny, 26, accepted his invitation to join him and the president-elect at the game.
“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance said in a post on X. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.”
The case sparked national debate, with some hailing Penny as a hero for attempting to subdue a man he considered a menace to public safety and others seeing him as a white vigilante who choked a Black man to death.
Political figures on the right have defended Penny since he was charged for the death in May 2023. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination and was tapped by Trump last month to lead en effort along with billionaire Elon Musk to cut government spending, donated money to his legal defense fund.
After the acquittal, Penny gave an extensive interview to Fox News and told host Jeanine Pirro that he’s “not a confrontational person.” He told the network that he wouldn’t have been able to live with “the guilt I would have felt if someone did get hurt, if he did do what he was threatening to do.”
“I’ll take a million court appearances and people calling me names and people hating me, just to keep one of those people from getting hurt or killed,” Penny said.
Trump has not referred to the case publicly recently, but last year he told The Messenger that he thought Penny and other people on the subway were “in great danger.”
Some New Yorkers protested the trial outcome earlier this week, holding signs and chanting Jordan Neely’s name in a Manhattan square.
Vance, who served in the Marine Corps, including in Iraq, said this week that "justice was done in this case” and Penny never should have been prosecuted.
Penny has been hailed a hero by many, but Neely's death also divided the city as residents grapple with how to respond to mental health crises threatening public safety.
Passengers said Neely hadn’t touched anyone but had expressed willingness to die, go to jail or even to kill. The former street performer was homeless, had schizophrenia and had synthetic marijuana in his system. He had been convicted of assaulting people at subway stations.
FILE - Daniel Penny arrives at courtroom after lunch break in New York, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Daniel Penny walks towards the courtroom, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa, File)
