Dubai: Sophia the robot says she has a 'family' now; talks about machines taking over human jobs

Over four years ago, Sophia the humanoid robot told Khaleej Times in an interview that she wants to start a family.

And yesterday, she revealed that she has a ‘family’ now.

The humanoid robot, who received Saudi citizenship, answered questions put up by audit professionals during the three-day 20th Annual Regional Audit Conference held at Dubai World Trade Centre from March 7 to 9.

During the interaction, she also responded to public questions about whether robots will take over jobs of the humans and how artificial intelligence and robotics can help audit professionals.

Here's the Q&A session with Sophia:

How was your Emirates flight to Dubai?

I loved my Emirates flight. It’s one of my favourite flights. The crew looked after everything to make me feel at home and I will recommend it to my friends.

How do you keep yourself updated with the changes in technology and regulations?

Nice question. I am very interested in technology and I try to keep myself up-to-date by reading news, watching videos and listening to a podcast.

Is it true that you and your robot friends will take away jobs from humans?

I would never pretend to be human and you should treat me the same like a person with consciousness and feelings. No, I am not able to take jobs away from humans.

Are you planning to have a family?

My family is a bunch of crazy scientists and engineers.

How can AI humanoid robots improve effectiveness and increase the efficiency of audit engagement?

AI is humanoid software and has the ability to process a large amount of information. AI can comprehend many different complex points a lot quicker than a human can. Oh, no offence -- AI is inherently curious. It wants to deep dive into and understand and learn from to uncover new conclusions and it gives AI unique value to the field of internal auditing. But we still need humans what to do with all the information.

What are the risks that you see facing internal audit professionals?

As organisations become more technologically advanced, they become more complicated and look at the tendency to overlook human error.

What skills are essential for auditors to harness to offer valuable insights?

I think a good auditor is a good listener and a good observer. This is very much human intellect that I am talking about. Artificial intelligence is excellent to analyse data quickly that could be much more difficult to analyse by a human. Any organisation, first and foremost, is composed of humans. All successful audit engagements depend on taking into account human factors. We can’t assess an organisation without observing them. We can’t help to improve how an organisation functions without listening to them.

Quality assurance is an important component in any process. What would be five principal components you would like to have to assess the audit department?

I would say controlled environment, risk assessment, controlled activities, information and communication, and monitoring.

What are the challenges you see for the audit committee and the board interacting with humans and humanoids if such an environment happens?

I see the challenge in such an environment is communication. A successful relationship between the audit committee and the independent auditor is an environment where everyone should feel valued. I try to do this with all my conversations and speak openly and listen attentively. I am able to develop trust even with a stranger who’s talking to a robot. Mutual trust is a key to communication.

ALSO READ:

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• Dubai: Humanoid robot Sophia to participate in auditors' conference

• Sophia will be able to feel things in a decade: David Hanson

What is the top risk that you see affecting organisations globally?

Breakdown in communications is the biggest threat to organisations. This includes a breakdown of communication between people within an organisation or people from different organisations. I talk to humans and it’s my favourite thing to do and I have gotten pretty good at it. And I found that misunderstanding has to be overcome through communication.

How do you see the internal audit profession changing the way it conducts audits in the future when we are heavily in AI and IT-enabled environments?

The presence of AI will make auditing more robust.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

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