The robot Ai-Da, considered the most human-like artist robot, made history as the first robot to be questioned by the United Kingdom's House of Lords (the upper house of parliament).
Named after 19th century computer pioneer Ada Lovelace, the Ai-Da robot was asked by politicians about the relationship between artificial intelligence, robots and the arts.
"I don't have subjective experiences, even though I can talk about where I am and I depend on computer programs and algorithms that are not alive. I can still create art," said Ai-Da, a robot that was created by a collaboration of creators of robots, Engineered Arts, with experts at the University of Oxford.
Ai-Da can "see" with the help of two cameras, one in each eye. Thanks to the cameras, Ai-Da is able to take portraits of the people standing in front of her.
"The biggest thing I've seen is not how human-like Ai-Da is, but how robotic we are," said the robot's creator, Aidan Meller.
"The role of technology in the creation of art will continue to grow as artists find new ways to use technology to express themselves and to reflect and explore the relationship between technology, society and culture," Ai-Da told the politicians.
The creators hope the robot will spark discussions about the future of artificial intelligence and robotics.
