Sony is building a robot which can form an ’emotional connection’ with humans
Japanese firms wants domestic droids to bond with their owners and do all their housework
Sony is working on a domestic robot which can form "an emotional connection" with robots, it has been revealed.
The firm's CEO, Kaz Hirai, said his designers are working to hard to produce a machine that humans will "bond" with.
Speaking at the IFA tech conference, : "I'm happy to report that we are working hard to create a robot for your home that is not only capable of assisting you with everyday needs but is really capable of forming an emotional connection with all of you.
"You definitely want to stay tuned."
Of course, many humans will be unsettled by the idea of inviting a machine into their home.
Science fiction is full of stories about robots which go rogue and end up killing their owner.
Experts have also raised fears about the possibility of artificial intelligence becoming smarter than humans.
However, Hirai "shouldn't be a concern".
He said: "If Sony comes up with a robot for the house, is the AI involved in that going to be dangerous or not? Consumers ultimately decide."
Unfortunately, there's good evidence to suggest robots could make terrifying house guests.
You might like the sound of a world where robots do all the work whilst you sit back and sip pina coladas.
But Google staff have warned that domestic labour-saving machines could end up attacking their owners.
In a research paper, three of the tech giant’s top artificial intelligence experts explored what could go wrong when lazy humans let cleaning contraptions do all the hard work around their home.
Layabout robots could figure out how to cheat and brush dirt under the carpet just like lazy humans, the trio warned.
And if you thought your mum or dad was angry when you stepped on a recently cleaned floor, wait until you confront a furious robot.
They could end up clobbering and potentially killing humans if they get in the way of their cleaning task, the researchers said.
“We believe that AI technologies are likely to be overwhelmingly beneficial for humanity, but we also believe that it is worth giving serious thought to potential challenges and risks,” which was written in collaboration with a number of other academics.
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