Hiroshi Ishiguro: AI Avatars and the Future Society
PLENARY SESSION 8 | Friday, August 23, 13:50 - 14:30 | Auditorium 1 (1441-011)
HIROSHI ISHIGURO
Hiroshi Ishiguro is Professor at the Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University, holding the title of Distinguished Professor of Osaka University, Japan. He leads the Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR). Prof. Ishiguro has authored over 300 papers in prominent journals and conferences, on distributed sensor systems, interactive robotics, and android science, and received numerous research awards. Prof. Ishiguro's pioneering and philosophical approach to robotics has captivated major media outlets, including the Discovery Channel, NHK, and BBC. His work involves the creation of humanoid robots and androids, such as Robovie, Repliee, Telenoid, Elfoid, and the renowned Geminoids, which are physical replicas of real people. Through these creations, Prof. Ishiguro explores the future of human-robot interactions.
Abstract of lecture
In this lecture, the presenter will report on the research and development of remotely operated robots and CG agents, also known as avatars. Avatar technology has advanced significantly in recent years, thanks to progress in AI technology. We will discuss the various services that can be deployed using avatars and the kind of society we can realize as a result.
Plenary dialogue
Professor Ishiguro will deliver his lecture remotely and then engage in a live dialogue with two interlocutors before addressing questions from the audience. Moderator: Ryuji Yamazaki.
Interlocutor 1: Raja Chatila, Sorbonne University, France
Raja Chatila is Professor emeritus at Sorbonne Université. He is former Director of the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR) and of the Laboratory of Excellence “SMART” on human-machine interaction. He was director of LAAS-CNRS, Toulouse France, in 2007-2010. His research covers several aspects of Robotics in robot navigation and SLAM, motion planning and control, cognitive and control architectures, human-robot interaction, machine learning, and ethics. He works on robotics projects in the areas of service, field, aerial and space robotics. He is author of over 170 international publications on these topics. Current and recent projects: HumanE AI Net the network of excellence of AI centers in Europe, AI4EU promoting AI in Europe, AVETHICS on the ethics of automated vehicle decisions, Roboergosum on robot self-awareness and Spencer on human-robot interaction in populated environments. He was President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society for the term 2014-2015. He is co-chair of the Responsible AI Working group in the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) and member of the French National Pilot Committee for Digital Ethics (CNPEN). He is chair of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems. He was member of the High Level Expert Group in AI with the European Commission (HLEG-AI). Honors: IEEE Fellow, IEEE Pioneer Award in Robotics and Automation, Honorary Doctor of Örebro University (Sweden).
Interlocutor 2: Mihaela Constantinescu, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Bucharest
Mihaela Constantinescu is lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Bucharest, Romania, and executive director of the Research Centre in Applied Ethics (CCEA). Her research includes virtue ethics, business ethics, HumanRobot Interaction, and AI ethics, with a focus on the normative interplay between the concepts of moral responsibility and moral agency in relation to individuals, organisations, and AI systems. Mihaela is the winner of an ERC Starting Grant for the project “Avatar agency. Moral responsibility at the intersection of individual, collective, and artificial social entities in emergent avatar communities” (avataResponsibility) to be implemented between 2024-2028.