Nine humanoid robots fielded questions from reporters at an AI summit news conference held in Geneva, organized by the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union, on Friday, July 7.

The conference aimed to ignite a conversation about the future of artificial intelligence by allowing reporters to ask questions directly to the human-like machines. The robots sat and posed upright along with some of the people who helped make them at a podium in a conference center.

The news conference, titled "AI for Good Global Summit,” marked a significant milestone as it became the first-ever gathering where humanoid social robots were featured as the primary speakers.

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The panel consisted of nine robots with unique purposes and characteristics.

Notable attendees included Sophia, the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) first robot innovation ambassador; Grace, a healthcare-oriented robot; and Desdemona, a rock star robot. Also, Geminoid and Nadine were strikingly similar in appearance to their creators. Sophia, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, addressed the 5th Transform Africa Summit held in Kigali, in May 2019.

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The AI for Good Global Summit highlighted the importance of human-machine collaboration in shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

The event aimed to showcase the potential of robotics and their contribution to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, but also highlight their limitations.

The robots were introduced by their companions or creators, and reporters who were instructed to speak slowly and clearly when addressing the robots, posed questions directly to the machines.

The organizers did not disclose the extent to which the robots’ answers were scripted or programmed.