David Hanson

David Hanson is a lead global authority in AI and Robotics and CEO of Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based robotics company known for creating robots that look and act genuinely alive.

David Hanson is globally known for creating Sophia the Robot and other robots designed to mimic human behavior. Activated on February 14, 2016, Sophia is considered one of the most advanced robots in the world. Sophia imitates human gestures and facial expressions and is able to answer certain questions and to make simple conversations on predefined topics (e.g., on the weather). Sophia has received widespread media attention and was the first robot to be granted citizenship.

Hanson has extensive experience as a sculptor and animator, having worked with Walt Disney, Universal Studios and MTV. As a researcher and has received numerous awards for his work. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in film/animation/video, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Dallas in interactive arts and engineering.

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