Scientists Have Created the World's First AI Child

The world's first AI (artificial intelligence) child is now a thing that exists. Its name is Tong Tong, which translates to "Little Girl," and it was created by scientists at the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI).

The fact that the program was developed in China explains the scarcity of details around it, as well as the delay in the way the news reached other territories. According to local media, Tong Tong made its (her?) debut at the Frontiers of General Artificial Intelligence Technology Exhibition late last month, where it interacted with attendees and showed off its human-like capabilities.

Tong Tong exists only in the digital world, but it's capable of child-like autonomous learning, has emotional intelligence, and a vocabulary of about 600 words, for now. It now acts and speaks like a 3 or a 4-year-old child, but since it's constantly learning, it probably won't stay that way for long.

Tong Tong also displays a level of emotional engagement not seen before in AI programs, according to its creators.

"Tong Tong possesses a mind and strives to understand the common sense taught by humans," a video presentation of the program at the event revealed. "She discerns right from wrong, expresses her attitudes in various situations, and has the power to shape the future." That's a lot of responsibility shouldered by a little AI girl.

Using a combination of AI, machine learning, and natural language processing, Tong Tong is capable of adjusting its behavior according to each situation. One example that seemingly impressed audiences was its tendency to tidy up its virtual room, cleaning up spilled milk or straightening a crooked picture frame without being told to – in other words, things that no human child of that age would as much as bat an eyelid for, let alone bother to do.

But the eeriest thing about Tong Tong is its touted capability of feeling and expressing its "own joy, anger, and sorrow." It's not just that this "child" is able to recognize people and things and behave in a manner strikingly similar to a child; it's also able to mimic a child's behavior down to raw emotions and instinctive reactions.

"To advance towards general artificial intelligence, we must create entities that can comprehend the real world and possess a wide range of skills," BIGAI director Zhu Songchun reportedly said.

That makes sense from the point of view of science, but from a human perspective, making AI children probably feels like taking it a step too far. Or does it?