Communications of the ACM
Robot Monk Learns to 'speak' English
An English novice, the monk robot asks people to not ask difficult questions.
Credit: China Daily
The WeChat account of a robot "monk" in Beijing that uses artificial intelligence to speak with the public is communicating in English — although it still refers many questions to its master.
Xian'er, which is based at the Longquan Monastery in northwest Beijing, received 42,000 questions in its newly "learned" language after one day using English.
When asked what it liked most, the robot monk replied, "I like ice cream, and wish I could have 100 ice cream cones at one time." However, many questions were more likely to receive the response, "I need to ask my master."
A physical version of Xian'er, which is dressed in a yellow robe like a Buddhist monk, was unveiled in October 2015. It still speaks only Mandarin.
The account on WeChat has about 1.2 million followers. Since the account was established in 2015, many people have chatted with it online.
Xian Qing, a monk from Longquan Monastery, said, "An English-speaking Xian'er can better spread Buddhist wisdom to people around the world." He added that many overseas Chinese and foreigners like the cute monk.
A team of monks and volunteers, led by Han Yu, came together to create the robot.
From China Daily
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