Artificial intelligence

USA Today -Commencement speeches are typically given by celebrities, government officials, tenured professors or other notable individuals, but D'Youville University in Buffalo, New York did not hand the microphone to a human being during its spring ceremony over the weekend.The private university opted to have an artificially intelligent robot named Sophia speak on Saturday to the over 2,000 people in attendance, including graduates, faculty members and families. Before Sophia addressed graduates, D'Youville shared a Facebook post on April 25 saying the school is "embracing technology" by allowing the robot, who's appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," to be its commencement speaker. "Sophia is expected to provide the 'last lecture' about the students' accomplishments through the year with an interview-style discussion with John Rizk, D’Youville University Student Government Association president, and candidate in the accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy degree program," the Facebook post said. The speaker wasn't well-received by everyone, however, with some students creating a petition to replace the robot with a human. "A major role of higher education is to be an incubator for innovation, and to prepare students for both the opportunities and challenges of the future," D'Youville University President Lorrie Clemo is quoted in the social media post.   VIDEO