WHAT’S AT STAKE TODAY ⚡

• China enrols robot in theatre PhD, sparks debate on art and AI 🎨🔞
• Perplexity accused of scraping websites that explicitly blocked AI scraping 🕷️🚫
• Tim Cook reportedly tells employees Apple 'must' win in AI 🍎🏆
• Apple might be building its own AI 'answer engine' 🍎🔍
• OpenMind wants to be the Android operating system of humanoid robots 🤖📱
• OpenAI says ChatGPT is on track to reach 700M weekly users 📈👥
• GitHub CEO warns developers to embrace AI or quit coding 💻⚠️
• AI godfather warns AI could soon develop its own language and outsmart humans 🧠🗣️

Humanoid robot Xueba 01 becomes first AI admitted to PhD program.

China enrols robot in theatre PhD, sparks debate on art and AI

In a groundbreaking first for China and potentially the world, a humanoid robot named Xueba 01 has been admitted to pursue a PhD in Drama and Film at Shanghai Theatre Academy, specializing in traditional Chinese opera.

The historic announcement came during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 27, marking a significant milestone in the intersection of artificial intelligence and creative arts.

Developed through collaboration between the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology and DroidUp Robotics, Xueba 01 represents cutting-edge humanoid technology. Standing 1.75 meters tall and weighing 30 kilograms, the robot features silicone skin designed to mimic human facial expressions and speaks fluent Mandarin. The name "Xueba," Chinese slang for a high-performing student, appears fitting for this academic pioneer.

Under the guidance of Professor Yang Qingqing, a distinguished figure in Chinese performing arts, Xueba 01's doctoral curriculum encompasses stage performance, scriptwriting, set design, motion control, and language generation. The robot's educational journey represents an unprecedented experiment in AI's potential contribution to traditional art forms.

During earlier rehearsals, Xueba 01 demonstrated its capabilities by replicating the famous "orchid fingers" hand gesture from Peking opera legend Mei Lanfang. Professor Yang observed an intriguing phenomenon: human students in the room unconsciously began mimicking the robot's movements. She characterized this interaction as "aesthetic exchange" rather than a competitive human-versus-machine dynamic.

The robot identifies itself as an "AI artist" and has expressed ambitions to collaborate with classmates, share script ideas, and even provide relaxation services through white noise generation. If successful in completing the four-year program, Xueba 01 could potentially become a museum-based opera director or establish an AI art studio.

However, this technological advancement hasn't been without controversy. Chinese social media users have raised legitimate concerns about resource allocation, questioning whether funding a robotic student might divert resources from human candidates, particularly given that some earn less than 3,000 yuan (approximately $420) monthly.

Critics also challenge the fundamental question of whether a machine, regardless of sophistication, can truly comprehend the emotional depth and nuanced layers essential to live performance. The debate touches on core questions about the nature of creativity, emotion, and artistic expression.

Despite the criticism, the experiment has generated widespread fascination. Xueba 01's previous achievements include completing a half-marathon in humanoid form, where it placed third. However, this venture into performance and storytelling represents perhaps its most ambitious undertaking to date.

The Shanghai Theatre Academy's approach focuses less on the robot's technical specifications and more on the implications of introducing advanced technology into traditionally human-centered creative spaces. This perspective shifts the conversation from mere technological achievement to exploring how AI might reshape our understanding of art and learning.

The initiative sparks broader questions about the future of education, creativity, and human-AI collaboration. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly sophisticated, traditional boundaries between human and machine capabilities continue to blur, particularly in fields once considered uniquely human domains.

For many observers, the significance extends beyond a robot earning an academic degree. The real story lies in witnessing the convergence of learning, artistic expression, and artificial intelligence sharing the same stage. This experiment could provide valuable insights into how AI might enhance rather than replace human creativity.

As Xueba 01 embarks on its doctoral journey, it carries the weight of representing AI's potential in creative fields while navigating the complex terrain of human skepticism and curiosity. The outcome of this four-year experiment may well influence how educational institutions and creative industries approach AI integration in the future.

The project represents more than technological novelty; it's a bold exploration of what happens when artificial intelligence steps into spaces traditionally reserved for human expression, emotion, and creativity.

Perplexity accused of disguising bots to scrape websites illegally.

Perplexity accused of scraping websites that explicitly blocked AI scraping

Cloudflare accuses AI startup Perplexity of deliberately circumventing website scraping blocks by disguising its crawling bots. The infrastructure provider claims Perplexity changes user agents and network identifiers to hide its identity when accessing sites that explicitly prohibit scraping through Robots.txt files. This behavior was observed across tens of thousands of domains with millions of daily requests. Perplexity dismissed the allegations as a 'sales pitch,' denying ownership of the identified bots. This isn't Perplexity's first controversy - news outlets previously accused the company of plagiarizing content without authorization.

⚡ More AI Bites

1. 🍎⚡ Tim Cook reportedly tells employees Apple must win in AI. CEO demands AI dominance from the troops!
2. 🔍🤖 Apple might be building its own AI answer engine. Cupertino cooking up search competition!
3. 🤖📱 OpenMind wants to be the Android operating system of humanoid robots. Robot OS race heats up!
4. 📈💬 OpenAI says ChatGPT is on track to reach 700M weekly users. AI chatbot nears billion-user milestone!
5. 👨‍💻⚠️ GitHub CEO warns developers to embrace AI or quit coding. Code repository chief issues ultimatum!
6. 🧠🚨 AI godfather warns AI could soon develop its own language and outsmart humans. Machine minds may leave us behind!

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