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World's First Robot Hotel Fires Half of Its Robot Staff (theregister.co.uk)

Posted by BeauHD on from the shortcomings-of-AI-automation dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: The world's first hotel "staffed by robots" has culled half of its steely eyed employees, because they're rubbish and annoy the guests. "Our hotel's advanced technologies, introduced with the aim of maximizing efficiency, also add to the fun and comfort of your stay," the Henn na Hotel boasted on its website. It's where multilingual female robots staff the reception desk. Guests are checked in using face recognition. Robot concierges carry your luggage. Robots cleaned and mixed drinks. A voice activated robot doll is on hand at night while you sleep.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the room doll interpreted snoring as a request it couldn't understand, waking guests continually through the night to rephrase. "The two robot luggage carriers are out of use because they can reach only about two dozen of the more than 100 rooms in the hotel. They can travel only on flat surfaces and could malfunction if they get wet going outside to annex buildings," the paper reported. "They were really slow and noisy, and would get stuck trying to go past each other," lamented one guest. The concierge and the room doll have now been removed.

3 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. B-but... AI... ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Could it be? Could AI be utter rubbish, to be compared to the absurd idea that people had that 19th century crude mechanical "robots" could have been made to walk around like a human and perform any kind of human-like task. Even today, with infinitely smaller and powerful technology exists, have they made *anything whatsoever* like that. They haven't even been able to make a convincing *text chat bot*, FFS!

    There simply is no "AI". It will clearly take infinitely more powerful hardware that makes the current look like the 19th century, and of course the basic understanding of how to replicate a human brain.

    1. Re:B-but... AI... ?! by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      AI isn't rubbish, it is Over Hyped though.
      The problem with robotics and AI. In order for them to match the capabilities of humans, many of their superior attributes will need to be cut back in order to get these traits. So we end up with something in theory just like a human without any real benefit.

      I have a Rumba. It does its jobs and keeps my floor clean, but it isn't as good as if I were to do it myself. As I can vacuum my whole house in about 30 minutes, while the Rumba just does the first floor in about an hour (and misses spots). But what it is good at is the fact that it does this scheduled daily. Where I only have the time to do this weekly. So the spots it misses, it will get the next day. So a Robot designed to just vacuum the house, doesn't do a better job then a human. But it doesn't get tired of doing it, and it is its only purpose so it will be less efficient but overall more effective. Now the Rumba basically has the AI of Pong. But to the point unless a persons only job is to vacuum a house once a day, AI will not be taking their jobs. Because if a Maid's employer did get a Rumba, the Maid would still be performing other tasks, and probably will be picking up tasks that she wasn't able to perform as well at before. Such as more time dusting areas, or cleaning other areas. So the Employers house is overall cleaner without having to fire anyone.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. Sirius Cybernetics Corporation by e3m4n · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation is the primary manufacturer and supplier of androids, robots and autonomic assistants for the known universe. They are known for their catchy jingles and catchphrases, supplied by their Marketing Department.

    They are not, however, known for the quality of their products.

    Their primary claim to fame seems to be constructing just about everything with (unstable) advanced robotics and software. From doors to lifts, to toaster ovens, drinks machines, vacuum cleaners, and "personal massage units" -- Everything has been built with a full GPP or Genuine People Personality. This means that even a set of airlock doors has emotions, hopes, dreams, intelligence, and worse of all, the capacity for boredom. It should come as no surprise then, that the majority of these devices have a neurotic streak a mile wide.

    The company motto is "Share and Enjoy." This is widely adaptable, from synthesized drinks to the company of a robot, or 'Your plastic pal who's fun to be with' as it is described by the aforementioned Marketing Department. It should be noted that many who do not Enjoy, then go on to fail to Share, unless this includes sharing strongly-worded opinions toward their complaints department.

    The Hitchhiker's Travel Guide describes the Marketing Department of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as:

    "A bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes."

    Curiously, an edition of the Encyclopedia Galactica which conveniently fell through a rift in the time-space continuum from 1000 years in the future describes the Marketing Department of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as:

    "A bunch of mindless jerks who were the first against the wall when the revolution came."

    Only their complaints department survived the general economic implosion of the company as a whole