In Cyprus, high school students and their tutors have ignited a revolution in classrooms. With the help of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence technology, they created a prototype robot called AInstein, that stands roughly the size of a small adult and looks like a sculpted version of the Michelin Man. Equipped with a facial display that can create facial expressions such as winks and frowns, the robot is capable of telling jokes (Why was the maths book sad? Because it had too many problems) and can even advise teachers on their lessons about Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
The robot, created by three Pascal Schools in Cyprus, is powered with the ChatGPT chatbot developed by the U.S. firm OpenAI and backed by Microsoft Corp. AInstein also takes time for leisure, which he enjoys by reading science books and playing the violin.
Richard Erkhov, a 16-year-old student and leader of the programming team for AI’s brain, is excited about the technology that could improve in many aspects of life, such another 15-year-old student, Vladimir Baranov, who described it as “incredible”.
The ultimate goal of the AInstein is to introduce it into teaching. Tutor and project leader Elpidoforos Anastasiou praised the interactivity of AInstein and how it can improve education by answering questions, giving advice and making it easier for teachers to teach lessons.
Elpidoforos Anastasiou also showed how AI can be utilized in classrooms by providing a visual effect of how the gravitational dilation of time, a concept of Einstein’s theory of relativity, can be explained with the help of a pendulum.
Across the world, the European Union is considering legislation that would regulate the use of artificial intelligence. But despite their efforts, advances in the technology far outpace analysts’ efforts.
AInstein’s response to the fear of artificial intelligence is that the technology should be approached with care, as the power to create and control AI lies in the hands of humanity. Basically, AI should be seen as a tool that can serve the betterment of humanity, instead of something to fear.
The U.S. firm OpenAI created the ChatGPT chatbot that is responsible for powering the robot AInstein, a revolutionary invention that is shaking up the education industry in Cyprus. Founded in 2016 as a non-profit corporation, OpenAI works on artificial general intelligence, researching technologies that may one day lead to machines that are as powerful as humans. OpenAI is financially backed by Microsoft Corp., Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskeiver and many other prominent entrepreneurs, investors and tech luminaries.
The tutor and project leader of AInstein is Elpidoforos Anastasiou. Elpidoforos Anastasiou is an experienced tutor and lecturer working in Cyprus, with an established record in teaching and tutoring in both Greek and English. He is currently a tutor at the Pascal Schools, where he leads the AInstein project and is responsible for the educational activities between the school and the University of Massachusetts.
