The answer is not from a human, but from a robot. As of this week, Pepper is the service robot for the library in the city centre. He will stand at the entrance for six weeks and answer any questions that students may have, such as where the toilet is or how to print documents. So, a proper library employee. Well, as soon as it comes down to feelings, the AI-generated robot quits; “As an AI assistant, I have no feelings,” the machine answers, busily gesticulating while following the movements around him with its head.
Pepper is part of a project by the School of Business and Economics (SBE). They have joined forces with the research institute Maastricht Center for Robots (MCR) and the external Innovation Playground, a design and technology development firm. The aim is to improve the supply of information at UM by means of robots. In the first phase, the robot was in an enclosed space for a number of months, where students could test out the robot.
Now Pepper is free ‘to go where he pleases’. Well, he stands in the same spot, but it is an open space with visitors. And even though it is a robot, you must treat it respectfully, the poster behind it says. That rule is immediately broken by a Dutch student: he shouts abuse at the robot while laughing, after which Pepper thanks him kindly.