Celebrity-robot Sophia, the most human robot yet is coming to NZ next month

Sophia is Hanson Robotics' latest and most advanced robot and she is coming to visit NZ in September.

This robot begins to push the limits of what we generally expect our robotic companions to look like and reminds me a lot of the AI in Ex Machina.

She will be on display at the Morgo convention in the Bay of Islands from August 31 until September 1.

Sophia was created by David Hanson, founder of Hanson Robotics.

Hanson has aspired to create 'genius machines' that are smarter than humans and can learn creativity, empathy, and compassion.

These are three distinctively human traits Hanson believes must be developed alongside, and integrated into artificial intelligence.

He believes that robots could be used to solve problems too complex for humans to solve themselves.

Sophia has also become a media darling, having given numerous interviews to multiple media outlets, sang in a concert, and even graced the cover of one of the top fashion magazines.

Her interview on the Tonight Show has generated millions of views and countless social media interactions.

She has also shown her potential in business, having met face-to-face with key decision makers across industries including banking, insurance, auto manufacturing, property development, media and entertainment.

Sophia has also appeared onstage as a panel member and presenter in high-level conferences, covering how robotics and artificial intelligence will become a prevalent part of people's lives.

Hanson Robotics creates amazingly expressive and lifelike robots that aim to build engaging relationships with people through conversation.

Their goal is to create robots that teach, serve, entertain, and in time come to truly understand and care about humans.

They aim to create a better future for humanity by infusing artificial intelligence with kindness and empathy, cultivated through meaningful interactions between our robots and the individuals whose lives they touch.

They also envision that through this symbiotic partnership with us, robots will eventually evolve to become super intelligent 'genius machines' that can help humans solve the most challenging problems the world faces.

Sophia is simply the latest and most advanced Robot the company has created and it is truly exciting to have this monumental piece of technology making an appearance in NZ.

You can check out Sophia's segment on the Tonight Show here: