IA e Robotica: una dimensione umana. | Antonio Bicchi | TEDxRimini

Quick Overview

Antonio Bicchi argues that the future of Artificial Intelligence is embodied robotics, which, when developed with soft, adaptable principles mirroring the human body, enables profound integration and new forms of human expression, exemplified by using humanoid avatars for artistic performance and remote interaction.

Key Points: AI has already surpassed humans in games like Chess (Deep Blue, 1997) and Go (AlphaGo, 2015), and in scientific prediction (AlphaFold, 2024), but humans win when they learn to use machines creatively, as shown by Ke Jin who trained with AI to win 14 out of 15 Go matches. The future of AI is robotics, an intelligence with a body capable of intervening in daily life, which is possible because research has shifted from caged, dangerous robots to collaborative robots (cobots) operating safely near humans. Bicchi's research focuses on hands, noting that hands are the most characteristic feature of human intelligence, leading to work on prosthetics where rigid hands failed because nature is always soft and adaptable. The success of soft robotics lies in creating prosthetics that behave like the human body and speak its language, achieving true integration by mimicking natural softness and adaptability. This integration principle extends beyond prosthetics to humanoid avatars, like 'Alterego,' allowing humans to inhabit the robot, see what it sees, and feel what it touches, enhancing immersion and credibility, especially through the sense of touch. Robotics can offer practical assistance, such as delivering medicine and comfort to the elderly, performing dangerous tasks like exploring collapsed buildings or deep-sea recovery, and enabling artists to express themselves by 'living inside' the robot. The concept of the 'robot' originated from art (Karel Čapek's play), and robotics can now influence art by acting as a tool (a 2.0 chisel) or by allowing artists like painter Melchior to express themselves as if painting through a three-year-old child via the robot.