Sophia to Address Conference in Nepal on March 21

Sophia, a humanoid robot designed by Hanson Robotics, will be a keynote speaker in a conference on “Technology for Public Services/Development” to be held by the United Nations Development Program on March 21st at Kathmandu.

The Details:

• The conference is aimed at helping Nepal find ways to better use technology and innovation for advancing development in a changed federal context.
• It will exhibit how technology can offer possibilities of development in the country.
• This conference will host speakers and participants from central, provincial and local governments, private sector, civil society, youth, academia and the media. It will give them a platform to share and learn new ideas, experiences and lessons on technology for development.
• It will have presentations from experts and innovators in the areas of inclusive economic growth, democratic governance and resilience.
• Some of the speakers include Dr. Mahabir Pun, Chairman of the National Innovation Centre, Lal Bahadur Khatri, Under Secretary of the Inland Revenue Office, and Shyam Kumar Bhattarai, Head of Planning Division, Office of Attorney General.

Why it matters:

• Sophia is a social humanoid robot which made news by becoming a Saudi Arabian citizen in October 2017. She is the first robot to receive citizenship of any kind. She is able to display more than 62 facial expressions. She has been covered by media around the globe and has participated in many high-profile interviews.
• Sophia is also UNDP’s first-ever Innovation Champion. She is championing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in Asia and the Pacific with a focus on innovation.
• Sophia, now two and a half years old, uses voice-and face-recognition technology combined with artificial intelligence to carry on conversations with humans.
• During the seminar, Sophia will be the keynote speaker will also interact with the participants, informed UNDP.
• UNDP is organizing the conference as part of its efforts to facilitate discussion on how technology and innovation could contribute to better governance, and towards achieving the SDGs.

Event Details

When: March 21

Where: Hotel Yak and Yeti, Kathmandu

Time: Conference open to public after 2.30 PM

Registration: Not required; free entry

More Details: UNDP Nepal’s Blog