BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Youville College embraced the future of technology by having an AI robot named Sophia speak at Saturday's graduation ceremony.
When it was announced last month that Sophia would be speaking at commencement, the decision sparked controversy across campus, with graduates expressing varying opinions about the experience.
“It's hard to explain. I don't understand,” says Youville graduate Fatima Saleh. “Obviously not.”
Prior to the ceremony, Kylie Austin, another graduate of Université d'Youville, said, “We were hoping for something like a more personal commencement speech, but we decided to wait and see if it would be more personal.” I'm going to try it,'' he added.
Instead of giving a traditional speech, Sophia, wearing a D'Youville sweatshirt, took to the stage to answer questions from students. She talked about the future of technology in hospitals, and she joked about the best places to buy chicken wings in Buffalo.
News 4 WIVB's cameras were not allowed to film the robot's speech or other parts of the graduation ceremony. However, the university provided its own footage of the event.
“I'm always open to new things and this Sopha is like something new,” said D'Youvile alumnus Manjit Kaur. “We don't want to be traditional, so this new AI is already part of our lives and we can't deny it. Let's embrace this.”
“I was a little hesitant at first,” Saleh said. “I was so happy when they took her out and got to know her Sophia better. I'm glad I had this experience.”
Not everyone was happy to see Sophia take center stage. Some teachers feel the money used to install the robots could have been spent elsewhere, and have expressed frustration about not having a contract in place for about three years.
“It honestly looks like mismanagement of funds,” said Margaret Goodman, a chemistry professor and member of the union bargaining team. “They're spending money on parties, balloons, signs, artwork, all sorts of things that aren't for teachers.”
Sarah Minkiewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter from Buffalo who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah. twitter Click @SarahMinkewicz to see more of her work.