Science fiction has now become reality with the creation of Tong Tong, a girl who is the world’s first virtual artificial intelligence (AI) entity, developed by Chinese scientists.
The Star reported on February 2 that Tong Tong, or Little Girl in English, the AI entity was unveiled at the Frontiers of General Artificial Intelligence Technology Exhibition held in Beijing on January 28-29, under the auspices of the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI).
Exhibition visitors could interact with Tong Tong. When programmed to like things tidy, she would fix a crooked picture frame on her own, The Star says, noting that if the frame was too high for her to reach, she would find a stool so she could straighten it without any help from a human.
Also, if someone spilled milk, she would find a towel and clean it up by herself, showing her ability to interpret human intentions.
Unlike popular large language models in AI, Little Girl reportedly can independently assign tasks to herself, ranging from exploring her environment to tidying rooms and cleaning stains.
The Star notes that she has her own emotions and intellect, and is capable of autonomous learning.
China's technology sector is reportedly reaching a critical mass of expertise, talent, and capital that is realigning global power. In fact, the Chinese government plans to lead the world in AI by 2030, announcing more than US$110 billions’ worth of technology merger and acquisition deals since 2015.
