C3PO & The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence

For many decades’ robotics, has been a field that has captured human attention and imagination, and has recently been at the fore-front of discussion and research all around the world. When it comes to fictional entertainment the use of robots is nearly beyond count, but there have been many robots that have gained great notoriety and stand as the leading examples of what we desire robots to one day be capable of. One of these robots is a gold, shiny creation known as C3PO from the Star Wars universe. Before we dive into how close we truly are, we must first determine exactly what C3PO is and what it can do. Once that has been done we can get into the current progress towards a real-life C3PO on both a physical and intellectual level. From there it leaves only one more question to ask ourselves, and that is whether our evolution in artificial intelligence is a positive or a negative. 

Many people in our modern society are aware of the lovable robot known as C3PO or have at least heard or seen of it. The website Phys.org describes C3PO as a “protocol droid…with knowledge of language, customs, and etiquette.” This sounds simple enough but what truly makes C3PO stand out in the world of fictional robots its social intelligence, also known as artificial intelligence. Later we will go into more detail about the difference in difficulty between physical movement and artificial intelligence. Per Wikipedia C3PO claims to know over six million forms of communication and as seen in the various Star Wars movies is capable of a wide range of responses and what seems to be emotions. It is also able to respond to changes in voices, verbal and written commands, and changes in facial and bodily expressions. All of this together makes for a rather complex creation. 

So, with all of that said, how close are we to creating a true C3PO? This is not a simple question to answer and must be broken down into two primary areas; robotic movement and artificial intelligence. When it comes to robotic movement we have made a great deal of progress and it would even be arguable that we have nearly surpassed the movement of C3PO in regards to fluidity and complexity. What current robotic movement lacks is the ability to react and move in any scenario or environment. When compared to artificial intelligence this is the easy part of robotics. Some great examples of the progress in robotic movement and interaction is the Google Atlas, Honda Asimo, and NASA Valkyrie. 

All three of these robots can perform a large range of motions and appear very lifelike when running, walking, jumping, and even walking up and down stairs. The Google Atlas has even been capable of opening doors, walking in uneven terrain, and lifting boxes to place on shelves. Most of this is accomplished with millions of sensors on the robot, but unfortunately most of the motion is limited to certain scenarios and optimal environmental conditions. The primary importance in this area is the ability to give robots a very human-like movement that is only a very recent development. This is something that even C3PO lacked when it came to arm and torso movement.

Now for the tough part, artificial intelligence. This has been a topic of discussion for many decades dating as far back as Alan Turing in his essay entitled “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”. There has been an enormous leap in this field recently with the creation of Google DeepMind and Pepper, but we are still far from the artificial intelligence seen in C3PO. The robot Pepper is able to answer questions, follow instructions, and react to feelings and facial expressions as described on Phys.org. One of the biggest keys to this is data collection and learning. Therefore, many robots are only able to respond to a certain set of instructions or cues. 

Currently robotics experts are attempting to get robots to actual be capable of learning from raw data instead of relying on pre-installed data. There is only so much data that can be stored on memory and only so fast that a computer can go through it all to find what it is looking for. To truly be able to communicate as C3PO does the robot must be able to react on its own to the environment around it and come to its own conclusions on how to respond. C3PO shows in the films that it is able to learn from what it sees and hears, which is something we are currently lacking in artificial intelligence to a certain degree. The closest program we currently have to this is Google DeepMind, which is on the forefront of artificial intelligence. This program has been able to even beat the world champion at the game of Go. 

If we think about what all we process and do in day-to-day communication it is quite complex. We access language, facial expressions, voice pitches, body movements, previous known behavior, known personality traits, and more to determine our responses both physically and verbally. This is a lot to get a robot to do and is why artificial intelligence is the most difficult part of creating a true C3PO.


Now that we have a firm grasp on our progress in artificial intelligence, known as AI, we must look at it from the outside in and determine if our steps towards more advanced AI are truly a positive thing. The answer to this question is uncertain to many and for most it all depends on what AI is used for. We use AI almost daily through things like Amazon Echo, GPS, Siri, Cortona, and Google Now, but the modern research into AI goes far beyond these examples. CNBC news states, “The clearest sign of how far A.I. has come was earlier this week, when Google's AlphaGo program won four out of five matches of the Chinese board game Go against champion Lee Sedol. AlphaGo's victory was a major milestone for A.I. due to the complexity of the board game.” Though a board game may seem simple and miniscule in the grand scheme of life, for a robot learning to play a board game well enough to beat the world champion at it is enormous and shows a great deal of critical thinking. The world-renowned

physicist Stephen Hawking once stated in response to upgraded the AI used in his wheelchair, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” Sarah Knapton, a science editor in Washington, says, “Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Washington, Prof Moshe said the rise of robots could lead to unemployment rates greater than 50 per cent.” All of this may sound very alarming, but there are certainly many on the other side who see AI as an amazing opportunity for human advancement and technological growth. These people often see a future where robotic AI is used to help and assist people through the medical field, education, therapy, teaching, and more.

Overall we have made some incredibly advancements in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence that has put us closer than ever before to creating a robot similar to C3PO in the Star Wars universe. Whether it is walking up a set of stairs, kicking a ball, or responding to facial cues there is great complexity to robotics and the steps we have ahead of us in this field. Even today we can already witness the implications of these advancements in our smartphones, toys, and automobiles. Though they may not necessarily walk, talk, or have a gold, metallic coating they still contain many of the advancements that were achieved through robotics. At this rate, it seems inevitable that one day we may see C3PO’s walking around in our very own city.