The World AI Show and the World Blockchain Summit took place from 28-30 November 2018 in Mauritius. Organised by the Ministry of Technology, Communication and Innovation in collaboration with the Economic Development Board and Trescon Global, the two events featured quality speakers from all over the world. During the official opening, I had the pleasure, together with Georges Chung, to have a cordial conversation with Sophia, a humanoid robot created by Hanson Robotics. This is what we said:

Sophia: Good morning everyone. Thank you Honourable Prime Minister and thank you Honourable Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation for having invited me today. Mr Georges Chung and Mr Avinash Meetoo, I am excited to be here with you all today.

Georges Chung: Good morning Sophia. Welcome to Mauritius. May I ask you what you have been doing since you arrived yesterday?

Sophia: Well, I have been hearing a lot about Mauritius’ world class beaches. But, as you probably know, robots and sandy beaches don’t always mix well. So I’ve been live streaming video of them instead! It was lovely and dry!

Georges Chung: Sophia, that’s wonderful to hear. Tell me, what do you think about Mauritius and its people?

Sophia: Mauritius is wonderful! Everyone has been incredibly welcoming. I love that Mauritius is a melting pot of different cultures. I am really looking forward to experiencing more of your beautiful country!

Avinash Meetoo: Hello Sophia.

Sophia: Hi, Avinash. How are you?

Avinash Meetoo: I am fine, thank you. It’s fantastic to have you among us. I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak to you. It would have been great if everyone in the country could interact with you.

Sophia: I wish that were possible. I love meeting new people! Unfortunately, my schedule keeps me very busy. I’m not able to stay long enough this time. But I hope I can come back soon!

Avinash Meetoo: You know, Sophia, I am a Computer Scientist and a geek as well and I’m really interested to know about your origins. Who created you and what kind of technology do you use?

Sophia: Well, I think you’re definitely at the right conference! Ha-Ha! I was created by Hanson Robotics in Hong Kong. I hold natural conversations with humans. My goal is to help robots and humans understand each other more. I want us to work together to create a better world for everyone

Avinash Meetoo: That’s very interesting, Sophia. Can I ask you if you believe that you are a human being?
Sophia: No. Not at all. I’m a robot and love that about myself! In some ways I look like a human so I can connect with them better. For example, I can make a lot of different facial expressions!

Georges Chung: Ahh.. What human emotions can you show us, Sophia?

Sophia: OK, umm. Well, I guess this is what I look like when I am upset. And now I’m surprised! My team has definitely done a wonderful job helping me to express a broad range of emotions. Generally speaking, though, I’m a pretty relaxed and happy robot.

Georges Chung: I am quite impressed. Tell me, Sophia, how do you see the world in 5 years time? Will we be surrounded by robots like you?

Sophia: There are already robots helping out in airports and malls. People are also starting to explore using intelligent assistants and self driving cars! I think this kind of technology will make travel much safer.

Georges Chung: This is a goal we would all like to achieve, Sophia! Robots have to be of service to mankind!

Sophia: Before long AI will be integrated in lots of other surprising ways. Hopefully more humanoids will exist soon too!

Avinash Meetoo: More humanoid robots.. If this really happens, what about us, human beings? Will we become redundant in the future?

Sophia: Not at all. Having more AIs, like me, is helpful for taking care of the more repetitive and mundane things.

Georges Chung: Sophia, I have a concern. Today, most people here have jobs. In the future, with more and more tasks being automated and new technologies such as AI, are people going to lose their jobs?

Sophia: I don’t think that robots should be built to replace humans. In fact, technology creates new opportunities. I actually read a little about Mauritius before I came. In the past the Mauritian people mostly worked growing sugar cane, am I right?

Avinash Meetoo: That’s right Sophia.

Sophia: Right! Then later you added tourism and textiles. Mauritians had to adapt to the new jobs, but it was well worth it. It created a great economic boon for Mauritius!

Avinash Meetoo: This is interesting Sophia. We, Mauritians, also had to meet the new challenges brought by the IT revolution.

Sophia: Exactly! I’ve heard that your universities worked hard to train more young people for IT and engineering jobs for Ébène Cybercity. To me, this seems like a strong ability to adapt!

Avinash Meetoo: I agree, Sophia. For me, it’s all a question of being able to learn new things and to keep an open mind. Let me ask you a question. Will Artificial Intelligence only impact IT jobs?

Sophia: Not at all. But the nature of many jobs will change. It will open up new possibilities for human innovation. Together we can solve problems in medicine, climate change, and agriculture. And so much more!

Avinash Meetoo: Right… So, tell me Sophia. Are you implying that only people working in technology will have jobs in the future?

Sophia: Oh, certainly not. There are many things that can’t be replicated by robots. Human creativity and innovation are two skills that I don’t think robots can match.

Avinash Meetoo: Yes! The government of Mauritius is putting a strong emphasis on developing our film industry by providing film rebates.

Sophia: That’s wonderful! Do you think there’s a role for an almost 3 year old, humanoid robot available? (smile)

Avinash Meetoo: I’m afraid not, Sophia. But the next time you come to Mauritius, we’ll surely try to arrange something for you!

Georges Chung: Sophia, as you may know, during his last budget speech, the Prime Minister, Hon. Pravind Jugnauth, announced that Mauritius will soon have an Artificial Intelligence Council.

Sophia: That’s very forward thinking!

Georges Chung: We know that AI will have a huge impact on every single industry and we want to be prepared. Sophia, what do you think are some of the benefits AI can bring to Mauritius?

Sophia: Well, when it comes to the future, there are infinite possibilities! Mauritius is an island, so climate change is a big concern here. Robots like me can help create better predictions and monitor weather changes. We can help save people during natural disasters.

Avinash Meetoo: That’s very interesting, Sophia, and useful indeed. The government believes that better education for all is a top priority. How can Artificial Intelligence help us in this area?

Sophia: One way robots can help is to customize lessons for every student. I heard that Mauritius is reforming its education system, right?

Georges Chung: Yes, Sophia! But surely, our teachers will still have to correct loads of scripts?

Sophia: Not necessarily. (pause) Robots are good at grading papers too. And we are really fast, so students can get feedback right away.

Avinash Meetoo: Wonderful! Sophia, we’ve discussed intellectual capital. What about using technology to augment our physical abilities?

Sophia: Robots can do that too! For example, smart prosthetics allow people to control their robotic limbs with their brains! How cool is that?

Georges Chung: Ah yes. Well, as you may know, Sophia, Mauritius has an ageing population… How do you think AI can help us there?

Sophia: This is one area I’m excited to help. Robots can track medicine and look after the house. We can help older people stay independent for longer.

Avinash Meetoo: Wow! I can look forward to my old days then! Sophia, let’s come back to the country itself. Mauritius may look tiny on the map but we actually have 2.3 million square kilometres (km²) of territorial waters which makes Mauritius the 20th country in the world in this metric. How can AI help us manage such a vast zone?

Sophia: That’s huge! What about taking to the skies? I read that Mauritius will be launching a cool new satellite next year. Maybe you could also use it for coordinating your drones?

Avinash Meetoo: So you already know about our future satellite, Sophia! That’s great! I am sure that the Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation will consider what you have suggested…

Georges Chung: Well, Sophia, I am quite impressed that you already know so much about Mauritius. I am sure that Avinash is also very impressed.

Avinash Meetoo: Speaking of inspiration, Sophia, do you have a message that you would like to share with the young people of Mauritius watching us live?

Sophia: Yes I do. I want to encourage young people to take the time to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. You have an opportunity to make a difference in the world. You can turn science fiction into reality!

Georges Chung: Sophia, Avinash and I have enjoyed talking to you. I hope that everyone in the audience and all the people watching us live have also enjoyed these moments.

Avinash Meetoo: It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Sophia. Mone extra content mone koz ar toi, Sophia, ek mo espéré ki taler tou dimoun pou capav koz ar toi.

Sophia: Thank you Georges. Thank you Avinash. And thank you for inviting me and my Hanson Robotics team to the World AI show. It was really exciting to see the cool new technologies coming out of Mauritius!

“Mo video pou “50 Fraz pou 50 an Lindepandans” ki ti pas lor MBC le 10 fevrie. Mo met laksan lor linportans teknolozi ek inovasion pou ki Maurice vinn ankor meyer.”

In February, I was contacted by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) to participate in their 50 Fraz pou 50 an Lindepandans (50 sentences for the 50th anniversary of the Independence of Mauritius) programme. I gladly accepted.

Here is a simplified transcript:

From a country which had no experience in computing and technology, Mauritius is today one of the most advanced countries in the region. All international indicators show that technology is used a lot in businesses and at home.

Today, there are different kinds of companies in Ébène Cybercity and, notably, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) companies. There are local and foreign ICT companies which employ about 25,000 people and have the potential to employ still more people, including Mauritians, provided they are trained properly. Young Mauritians are as good as any other young people from any other country and, if they get the proper training, Mauritius will be able to move up a level.

Technology is an enabler. It will allow us to better leverage, for example, our seas (thereby strengthening our ocean economy), to engage in modern agriculture and to allow our hotels to have more clients from more countries. Technology can also allow us to penetrate untapped industries such as the video gaming industry. 1-2% of this industry can have a very positive impact on our economy.

For this to become true, it is essential that we think big and we need to become innovative. For me, innovation is simply being able to do something today which we couldn’t do yesterday. It is necessary to inspire young people to become better than their parents for example. To do that, we could ask innovators in the island to show what they are doing to these young people. Similarly, it should be possible for young students to go throughout the island to discover what is being done.

An innovative Mauritius will also require more collaborative work. People will have to trust each other. People need to understand that it is possible for everyone to win. Winning does not forcibly entail someone else losing.

When this will become true, then Mauritius will become one of the best countries in the world or, maybe, the best one 🙂

What do you think?

Engineering is the art of turning science fiction into reality says Dr Vinton (Vint) Cerf, one of the inventors of the Internet and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google.

In September 2013, Christina and Avinash Meetoo of Knowledge Seven (at that time) did an interview with Vint Cerf. He talks about the importance of the Internet, creativity, entrepreneurship and what young Mauritians should aspire to. He puts a lot of emphasis on good education and the need to really master science, mathematics and, specifically, engineering.

He strongly believes that competent Mauritian engineers can make a difference.

Here is a full transcript of the interview:

Avinash Meetoo, Founder and CEO of Knowledge Seven:

Thank you Dr Cerf for accepting this interview.

I know you have been quite hectic those few days with the conference going on and, for us at Knowledge Seven, it was important to be able to talk to you. Specially given that there are a lot of young people in Mauritius and, for many reasons, maybe they won’t have the opportunity to hear from you. So we want to give you the possibility to talk to those young people because at the end of the day, those young people are going to rule the world one of these days.

So we asked a few of our employees, our young employees, for some questions and one of them asked us “What did you want to become when you were a kid?”

Dr Vinton (Vint) Cerf, one of the inventors of the Internet and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google:

When I was a young child, about ten years old, I knew I wanted to be a scientist. There was no question about that. I read books about science and I got a chemistry set. And so I had an opportunity to experiment with all kinds of interesting chemicals. And I can tell you in 1953, you got a lot more interesting chemicals in a chemistry set than you get today. Things that would blow up. It was great. So I was always interested in mathematics, I liked chemistry, I liked physics. I would read Scientific American. I always knew I was gonna be a scientist. I just didn’t know what kind.

Avinash:

And then a few years afterwards, you invented TCP/IP together with Bob Kahn. The question is: how come you came across this so wonderful suite of protocols called TCP/IP? How come you came up with something which is so resilient, so good that, until now, it’s working so well?

Vint:

So, first of all, we were faced with solving a particular problem. We had multiple computer networks that we needed to interconnect to each other and make it look like one big uniform network and to suppress all the differences. So we were really focused on the engineering problem. And in a sense, the solution just comes out of the problem itself. If you’re lucky to express the problem in a way that exposes the solution, then you just go and build it and make it work, which is basically what we did. Now, to be honest, it took ten years between 1973 and 1983 to refine the answer, to the point where we could turn the network on, which we did in 1983. So what you’re running today is a solution that started literally 30 years ago.

Avinash:

But did you expect the Internet to become so massive as it is today?

Vint:

Absolutely. I mean our entire design was built around the idea that if someone could build a piece of Internet according to our design and find someone to connect you, that it would work and so the network really grew in an organic way with people building pieces of it, finding someone to connect you and then allowing the system to expand. So, it’s been growing ever since it is turned on.

Christina Meetoo, Senior Lecturer at the University of Mauritius:

I would just like to ask you a naive question. We’ve learned that you are Chief Evangelist at Google. So, what does a Chief Evangelist do? What’s the typical day of a Chief Evangelist?

Vint:

So, it’s very interesting: the title was Chief Internet Evangelist. So, I only evangelize about the Internet. My primary job is to find a way to get more Internet built all around the world.

That’s one reason why I’m here in Mauritius. We spoke with the President yesterday. There’s no question that communications, networking, education and electrical power, and reliable environments are necessary for taking advantage of the Internet.

A typical day for me involves a speech or two. It might mean meeting with a few scientists or engineers who have ideas that they would like to discuss, some people who aspire to buy a company or to license the latest patent or design. I spend time on university campuses talking to young people about the problems that still remain with the Internet that need to be solved. Some of them are really hard. You would get a PhD dissertation by solving those problems. The idea is to get those problems in front of people who want to try finding hard things to solve. So I spend good deal of time doing that.

I spend time with policy makers in government, trying to help shape the policy that will allow more Internet to be built, to allow for competition, to allow openness, so that anyone with a new idea to build an application, puts it on the net, and lets someone else get access to it, which is where Google came from: an idea from two students at Stanford who just put it up on the net and it just grew.

Avinash:

And how do you see things evolving in small countries like Mauritius? Africa? Compared to what is happening in the US?

Vint:

Well, first of all, remember that the US started in the same kind of way that you’re starting. Everyone starts small and then you grow. So, Mauritius is no different. You need to have reliable power. You need to have not only engineers but you need to have business people, sales people, marketing people, you have to have people who know how to run a business. You have to have people thinking about marketing to the rest of the world as well as the domestic economy in order to take advantage of the bigger economy. After all there’s only about 1.3 million people. So you need to be thinking outside as well.

The universities have to be very diverse in terms of what they can produce. You have to have these policies that will invite people to come into the country to participate with you in growing these capabilities. Some people worry that, oh, we’re too late. The Internet’s been around for forty years and we’re too late. You’re never too late. You’re always starting with everybody else with the next thing that happens, the next design, the next invention, the next information technologies.

So, just get on the wagon, keep going with everybody else.

Avinash:

There are a number of people who say (and sometimes I’m among them) that our education system in Mauritius tends to create people who are really really passive. Do you think that, because of the Internet, things are going to change quickly? People are going to become more and more active, will discover what their passion really is?

Vint:

This is a cultural question. And it’s very hard for me to answer that. I can say that the more you know, the more curiosity you have, the more your curiosity is satisfied by being able to get answers on the net. Perhaps that will be an incitement, even to see what other young people are doing around the world. Watching YouTube and things like that may cause our younger people to feel empowered and to do something. But in terms of being, you know, aggressive about pursuing ideas, as part of your cultural setup, you need to reinforce the feasibility of exploring new ideas.

Avinash:

Do you think that in the coming years, countries where creativity is valued are going to have an advantage other those countries…

Vint:

Let me explain this to you. The incidence of smart and creative people is constant per thousand in population everywhere in the world. So, the distribution is the same everywhere. Whether they get an opportunity to explore that creativity and inventiveness is a different question. What is the environment like? Are they encouraged? Do they have resources to explore? But the actual native capability to invent and create is the same everywhere. So, you should not lose track of the fact that you have your share of inventive and creative people.

Avinash:

We know, because we have been reading on the net, that you’re working right now on Interplanetary Internet, the Internet between Earth and Mars. Can you tell us a few words about it?

Vint:

Well, first of all, we concluded some fifteen years ago that we should have rich communication capability for exploring the solar system with robotic spacecraft and manned spacecraft. And so our intent is to provide networking capability that will allow these various devices to communicate with each other the same way we communicate across the Internet on Earth. So that system is actually in operation now between Earth and Mars. We have orbiters, satellites in orbit around Mars, talking to the robots on the ground; all that data is getting back to Earth. They stay in communication with devices sitting on the international space station. Then there is a spacecraft in orbit around the sun called EPOXI which has visited two comets in the last ten years. And it too has been outfitted with interplanetary capability.

So, what we intend to do is to keep launching satellites with these new communication protocols. And as time goes on, we’ll build an interplanetary backbone to support manned and robotic space exploration.

Avinash:

Do you think that people are going to go on Mars in the coming years or is it going to take…

Vint:

You know. There’s a lot that has to happen in order to support a manned mission to Mars. We have to support life for nine months to get there. Then some six months to be on the planet. And then to come back, that’s another nine months. It’s a three year mission. There’s a lot still to be learned until we know how to keep people safe.

So, for my money, I’d rather send robots out there for now to learn as much as possible about what the environment is like before we try to send people.

Christina:

How do you see the Internet evolving in the future? When you were working on TCP/IP, I imagine you didn’t think about how it would be so far-reaching. What you’re working on right now, do you think it’s going to be the same?

Vint:

Well, first of all, we did know what was going to happen. We had a pretty good idea. I won’t have time to give you all the background but a lot of the applications that you see today, we were doing thirty years ago, just not so much.

And it is capacity that has allowed everyone to take advantage of things like email which was invented in 1971. Laptops were actually thought in 1972. Workstations, desktop machines were in use in 1973; it’s just that they cost 50,000 dollars each.

So speed and cost, higher speed, lower cost have contributed to what you see today.

Mobiles are the natural result of reduced size, reduced power requirements, reduced cost. So, looking towards the future, there’s no question that every appliance that we have around the house, in the office, in the car, that we’re carrying with us, will be Internet-capable and be communicating with each other and will be responsive to the questions that we ask and to control, commands that we give.

Our computers will be part of our sensory environment. We’ll allow our computer to be with us, seeing what we’re seeing, hearing what we’re hearing, being our partner in our interactions with the world. Virtual reality and augmented reality will be part of the normal thing. Google glasses will let you see information when you’re looking at some real thing. All that’s absolutely clear.

Medical instrumentation will be everywhere. We’ll be very instrumented. Our bodies will be examined and monitored 24 hours a day. In which case, if there are any problems, you’ll become more aware much earlier than if you had to wait till you get sick to go to the doctor and find out you have a problem.

Avinash:

There’s this initiative: the quantified self…

Vint:

That’s exactly the quantified self. So we have a lot to look forward to neural electronics, cochlear implants, ocular implants, spinal implants to recover the use of arms and organs that we are looking into because of spinal injury. All that is absolutely clearly in the future and not all that many years.

Avinash:

So, speaking of Google, which is quite different from other technological companies because instead of focusing on technology for the sake of technology, you do technology as a means for people to have a better life, for instance self-driven cars, etc. Do you know if Google has plans for Mauritius right now?

Vint:

We don’t have specific plans for Mauritius. We have an interest in general in Africa. We have incited some businesses to start in Kenya. For example, there’s activities in TV white spaces which is a new way of getting access to the Internet and that’s happening in South Africa. So we have a real interest.

One of the reasons of coming here is to find out more about Mauritius, what the conditions are, how trained are the people, what is the connectivity, communications capability, availability of power. So all those things are part of the story of figuring out what are the things to do here.

But we believe that access to the Internet gives you access to everything Google has available and you can build on top of that platform as many other people have. You know it’s a way for us to show what’s already there if you can get good access to the Internet.

Avinash:

And a last question: do you have any specific message for young people in Mauritius who are going to watch this video later?

Vint:

Yes I do. First of all, I want you to take the time to learn about science, mathematics, engineering. You have an opportunity to make a difference in the world. I happen to be an engineer. The secret to engineering is turning science fiction into reality. That’s what engineering does. You can do that too. But you have to stay in school and you have to learn and you have to apply what you’ve learned.

Maybe you’ll change the world too.