CYPRUS: High school students and their tutors in Cyprus have developed a prototype robot powered with ChatGPT artificial intelligence technology to harness and improve teaching experiences in the classroom.

Named AInstein, like Einstein but starting with AI, the squat robot created in a collaboration of three Pascal Schools in Cyprus stands roughly the size of a small adult and looks like a sculpted version of the Michelin Man.

It’s powered with ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by U.S. firm OpenAI and backed by computer giant Microsoft.

A screen for a face tries to mimic human features with blinks and frowns.

In a northern American accent, it can tell a joke (why was the maths book sad; because it had too many problems) makes an attempt at speaking Greek, and guides a listener on how Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity can be taught in a class.

He doesn’t have a favorite movie since it was ‘before his time’, he says. But he enjoys reading science books and spending leisure time with his violin.

Teachers say the ultimate purpose of AInstein is to incorporate it into lesson plans.

“It’s a very interactive experience. Students can ask him questions, he can answer back, and he can even facilitate teachers to deliver a lesson more effectively,” said tutor and project leader Elpidoforos Anastasiou.

He gave a demonstration of how AI can be adapted to the classroom: Albert Einstein’s theory of time relativity, AInstein advises, can be explained with the movement of a pendulum relative to the gravitational field in which it is placed.

The experience showed that AI is not anything to fear, members of the project said.

The European Union is considering legislation governing the use of artificial intelligence, though advances in the technology far outpaces lawmakers’ efforts.

AInstein himself answers whether the technology is something to be feared. “Humans are the ones who create and control AI, and it is up to us to ensure that its development and implementation serve the betterment of humanity.. Therefore we should not fear AI, but rather approach it with care and responsible consideration.”