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Internet Culture

Sophia the robot is shockingly human-like—and the internet is terrified

Start practicing your robot dance moves now.

Photo of Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly

Sophia the humanlike robot

Sophia is an advanced robot created by Hanson Robotics that eerily resembles a human. She was activated in 2015, but recent interviews with members of the media have thrust her back into the public spotlight. Just last month, she became a citizen of Saudia Arabia.

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As she gains notoriety and pushes for peaceful human-robot relations, people are wondering if she’ll really be on our side in the future. After all, robots turning evil is one of the most common tropes in science fiction. In 2016, when asked if she will destroy humans, she replied, “ok, I will destroy humans.” It came off as a “joke,” but some people worried that this was a warning about her true intentions.

So what’s the best way to avoid being annihilated by robots like Sophia? These memes offer some ideas.

First step: act like a robot.

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https://twitter.com/iamkiyonce/status/937828787391270912

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https://twitter.com/MYHOECULT/status/938088724939886592

https://twitter.com/chuuzus/status/937355307428270081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefader.com%2F2017%2F12%2F04%2Ftwitter-memes-sophia-the-robot

https://twitter.com/jetaimelipa/status/936394886336610305

https://twitter.com/minfyuk/status/938052675018649601

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https://twitter.com/1ncognito__/status/938045333074038784

Drag queen Aquaria tested out a Sophia-inspired look to “blend in” during Sophia’s projected takeover:

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Besides acting and looking like a robot, the internet pondered other ways to escape from murderous robots in the future.

https://twitter.com/ShadyGagaNews/status/938038468843917314

https://twitter.com/TreMelvin/status/937060644842606592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefader.com%2F2017%2F12%2F04%2Ftwitter-memes-sophia-the-robot

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Maybe you can try befriending Sophia?

https://twitter.com/NickNBeauty/status/937916233428717568

You could also try praising Sophia in an effort to convince her to spare you in the future.

https://twitter.com/katyxoxo00/status/937477411679154177

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https://twitter.com/katyxoxo00/status/937477838353190912

https://twitter.com/katyxoxo00/status/937483765894516737

There’s also another debate forming on the internet: is a Siri/Sophia power struggle inevitable?

https://twitter.com/ricardojkay/status/937512911001477120

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https://twitter.com/archangelicx/status/937862737568325632

https://twitter.com/ricardojkay/status/937733964390850561

https://twitter.com/femmetron9000/status/937494657151438848

Or will the two join forces—along with Amazon’s Alexa?

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https://twitter.com/capstrio/status/938083297372057600

Ok, so maybe female-identifying robots ruling the world isn’t the worst outcome.

 
The Daily Dot