Putting Sophia or Diella on stage, ethically (two open letters and some outcomes)

me with two people in costumes basically giant puppets
I actually like puppets.
This blogpost is in four parts:
  • the original blog from 2018,
  • a rapid follow-up addition, with (positive!) outcomes,
  • another pair of letters from 2025, concerning being on stage "with" Diella, Albania's "Minister of State for AI"
  • another rapid follow-up positive outcome (after the second letter)

Original Blogpost, 18 November 2018, re Sophia

I was invited on relatively short notice to participate in the World AI Show in Mauritius next week. While we were negotiating about whether the travel required was actually feasible, they announced the participation of a robot called Sophia as if that robot was a human.  There have been great articles before about how wrong it is to present Sophia this way in the popular press, as well as of course my own academic articles,  both philosophical and legal. Noel Sharkey just wrote a long one documenting the history of show robots.  But I am concerned that  a lot of the  discussion I see on twitter at least is focussing too much on robots being puppets. Because as we continue improving AI, "puppet" becomes a worse and worse metaphor. 

Here are two open letters I sent to World AI Show that are general to my feelings about involvement in conferences with robots being presented as human.  The first one was rather brief: 
I'm sorry, I cannot participate in this event if you are claiming that a robot is giving a keynote. I cannot support this kind of fraud.
I've sent very similar emails before, even when being offered decent money to participate in a meeting (most meetings don't offer money, if you are wondering, but some do, especially if they are proprietary to a company.)

The World Show AI though responded with a long and considerate email about the importance of this meeting for Africa and Africans, so I wrote a second email. Unfortunately, we concluded in the end that the travel isn't possible, so I will not be going, and do not know whether or to what extent these suggestions will be implemented.
Dear Mr. Singh,
Thank you for your considerate email.  [But] I do not see how it would help the farmers of Africa if I participate in a charade that deceives them about who actually controls technology. I will participate [in your meeting] on two conditions: 
  1. That it is made clear that the robot is reading a keynote prepared by another party, and who that party is, who the human or human agency is that stands behind the words of that keynote. 
  2. That on the panel, one of the robot’s programmers is also on the panel, and can answer any questions the other panelists have. 
Actually, there is still a third condition which was the first I brought up, which had to do with flights [...]  But regardless of whether I can make it to Mauritius, I strongly advise the two points above. 
Yours sincerely,
Joanna

Follow up / outcomes (30 November 2018)

I've just heard that the World AI Show did make it clear that the keynote given by Sophia was completely scripted.  Excellent news, and thanks to everyone involved!  Though I also heard that it was presented as a citizen of Saudi Arabia, which is false. It only received an "honorary citizenship." The idea of citizens you can buy and sell is obviously antithetical to democracy, as some citizens of Malta recently made clear.

Update, 30 November and 9 December 2025 – two new letters, about Diella

Dear XXX,

I'm afraid there are two problems. Hopefully the more resolvable is that I'm meant to be on stage at that same time in Berlin [...this is indeed now resolved...]

The second problem is that you are platforming a case of regulatory capture and evasion in a conference supposedly about corruption. I assume now this is why you were so keen to have me on the panel, but just in case, see what I have previously said about appearing with a robot or AI https://joanna-bryson.blogspot.com/2018/11/putting-sophia-on-bill-ethically-open.html I in fact did wind up appearing with Sophia at another banking event, and like the one in Mauritius, they admitted how they had scripted the event. However, to my knowledge, no one has confessed who is programming the Albanian AI, or whose agency it is really representing.

I don't mind too much if you want to hash out this circus on stage in Vienna, but I wanted to make sure you realised that was what would have to happen.

Yours,

Joanna


Dear XXX,

I just realised this panel is tomorrow! Do you still want me on this panel? I will absolutely be asking how the "Minister" was built, who is held responsible for its actions, how its behaviour and decision making is logged, etc. Also, since Albania is signatory with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/recommendation-ethics-artificial-intelligence which mandates that AI systems can never in themselves constitute a legal personality, what it means to be a minister without legal personality or accountability.

Yours

Joanna

 Outcome, 9 December 2025

Dear Johanna, [sic]

Greetings from ZZZZ! Thank you for your willingness to participate in the International Anti-Corruption Day Conference. We would like to inform you that the AI “Minister” will not be featured on the panel. The organizers have opted for in-person interventions. We nevertheless hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with you on future occasions.
 
Best regards,
XXX YYYYYY

 

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