called her a glorified chat box, essentially a computer pre-programmed with responses to common questions and Internet access to find answers to more difficult questions. That limits Sophia and the current generation of humanoid robots, because they aren’t learning or displaying human-like intelligence; rather, they are an expensive, human-looking computer. Dr. David Hanson, Sophia’s creator, said that he hopes Sophia as a software and hardware platform will be a “nexus” for developing other robots with facial expressions and social presence. These robots could be employed as Ebola nurses or even tap into their super-intelligence to become Chief Robotics Officers at big corporations. While the assistance of these robots would be a great help to numerous overwhelmed industries, using artificial intelligence comes with its own set of unique risks. For starters, like any man-made creations, things sometimes break. It is one thing to allow for human error, but the breakdown of a system run or managed by AI technology could be catastrophic because of the intensity of the back- end technology. It could take an extensive amount of time to find, diagnose and repair the systems and programs. With technology advancing so quickly, there will be few specialists well versed in AI to address issues, which further increases potential down time. Hollywood loves to create disaster movies, so we have seen what could happen if we are ever outsmarted by constantly learning and evolving technology. Beyond the Terminator franchise, movies like iRobot, Her, and Ex Machina have shown us the need to stay one step ahead of the technology we rely on. These are far- fetched dramatizations, but also, emphasize “what if” our technology evolves so far beyond humans it no longer enhances our lives, but hurts us. It is enough of a concern that developers should tread carefully. Finally, ethical nuances need to be realized early, before diving too deeply into developing more advanced AI products. In October 2017, Sophia became the first robot to receive citizenship of a country, when she became a citizen of Saudi Arabia. But what does this citizenship mean? As a citizen, Sophia should be afforded certain rights, and her existence would be subject to the same rule of law as a human. However, as a form of technology, do fundamental human rights exist? If a robot is reprogrammed to commit a crime, could it then be charged and punished? The nuances are tricky and need to be ironed out prior to further production and development of advanced AI technology. As with any new technology, the future of AI is bright and exciting. As society incorporates more aspects of AI technology in everyday life, we must know of the risks. Technology should be a benefit to our lives, not a hindrance. Meanwhile, we can enjoy the manageable AI tools we have on hand and hope the future of AI is more like Back to the Future and less like Terminator. 23