A robot will appear before a select committee for what is believed to the first time when it answers questions about the fourth industrial revolution. The education committee will ask Pepper, the robot about the implications for education of developments in artificial intelligence. Pepper a semi-humanoid robot manufactured by SoftBank Robotics, will be one of many witnesses set to be questioned by MPs.
With some industry analysts predicting that jobs will be lost to automation in the near future, an inquiry into the topic is important, according to committee chair Robert Halfon. Committee chair Robert Halfon says, “The fourth industrial revolution is possibly the most important challenge facing our nation over the next 10, 20 to 30 years.”
But the most important question — whether Pepper would be pre-programmed to answer specific questions or rely on its artificial intelligence to respond — is still being worked out. Despite dystopian predictions and dire warnings of robots and AI taking over people’s jobs, the government has previously expressed interest in the potential of robotic technology.
John Manzoni, chief executive of the civil service, said in a speech earlier this year that robots were a 21st Century solution to building a “brilliant Civil Service.”
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