How to build emotionally-intelligent robots (with Cynthia Breazeal) | Pioneers of AI

Over the past several decades, the field of robotics has achieved remarkable milestones. Robots have been sent to Mars and to the deepest parts of the ocean. Cynthia Breazeal, a professor at the MIT Media Lab, believes there’s another frontier that robots should enter: our daily lives. As a pioneer in social robotics, Breazeal has devoted her career to developing socially and emotionally intelligent machines — robots that can serve as learning partners in classrooms and even assist in navigating mental health challenges. She joins Pioneers of AI to discuss how social robots can coexist with humans, explore the applications of the robots she’s developing, and explain why AI literacy is more important than ever. At the center of AI is people, so we want to hear from you! Share your experiences with AI — or ask us a burning question — by leaving a voicemail at 601-633-2424. Your voice could be featured in a future episode! This episode is brought to you in partnership with Stripe. Chapters: 00:00 Introducing Cynthia Breazeal 02:06 The current state of robotics 03:44 The origin story of Kismet 07:31 Factoring in EQ when building humanoid robots 09:25 Social robots vs humanoid robots 10:20 Use cases for social robots 15:10 Cynthia’s social robot start-up Jibo 18:00 Using Jibo as a mental wellness platform 20:38 The importance of embodied AI 22:48 What it takes to build a social robot 26:50 Cynthia’s work in AI literacy 31:59 Being human in the age of AI 🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pioneers-of-ai/id1763085968 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6gbpjgcqJ40rtPrHnXeOWG 💻 LEARN MORE Our website: https://www.pioneersof.ai/ ⚡JOIN OUR COMMUNITY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pioneersofai/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pioneersofai Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pioneersofai X: https://twitter.com/pioneersofAI TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@pioneersofai 💡ABOUT US Pioneers of AI is your guide to the latest technological frontier. Each week, host Rana el Kaliouby (AI scientist, investor, author, co-founder of Affectiva) is joined by the leading creators, critics, and thinkers behind mind-blowing technology and asks the important questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we live. As we venture together into the unknown, Pioneers is your tool to understanding and anticipating what comes next. #artificialintelligence #ai #technology #technology #machinelearning #ranaelkaliouby #pioneersofai #affectiva #aitechnology #futureofai #aiinnovation #aiadvancements #aiethics #aipodcast #aiinterview #techinterview #robots #futureofrobots #socialrobots #mitmedialab