AI powered robot named CEO of a Chinese firm
It is not unknown that we now live in tech-centric world governed by artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Now, what if you hear that a robot has been named as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of a company? Mind-boggling, to say the least, isn’t it? Looks like it’s straight out of a sci fi movie. It did happen recently in the real world. A Chinese company based at Fujian called NetDragon Websoft named a robot as their virtual CEO.
The virtual humanoid robot powered by Artificial Intelligence is named Tang Yu and it becomes the first robot in human history to be designated as the CEO of a firm. This is being deemed as the next step towards workplace automation.
For those unaware, NetDragon Websoft is a Metaverse company specialising in multiplayer online gaming and producing mobile applications. Are you wondering what we are wondering? What kind of responsibilities would Tang Yu carry out? Well, let’s get right to it.
Meet the Robot Boss
As the head of the 10-billion-dollar company, Tang Yu or formally regarded as Ms. Tang Yu will be in charge of all executive duties expected of the human employees. These includes managing both the firm’s organisational as well as the efficiency departments. This virtual humanoid robot will supervise all kinds of operations and will be held responsible for taking crucial, rational and objective decisions on a day-to-day basis, through self-learning AI, real-time data hub, various analytical tools and effective risk management.
In fact, sources cite that the robot will be assigned tasks that are often meant for a human CEO, such as handling the firm’s human resource requirement as well as talent development. Its ultimate goal will be to ensure a healthy working environment for all NetDragon’s employees. Additionally, Ms. Tang Yu will lead the streamlining of the firm’s process flow, while managing its quality, efficiency and speed of execution. The officials of the company have said that they will continue to expand on their algorithms and make sure that Tang Yu stays upgraded at all times, helping them build an open, interactive and highly transparent management model. The objective is to gradually transform the company into a metaverse based working community.
Several media sources also reveal that the company’s chairman Dr. Dejian Liu has stated right after appointing the robot CEO, "We believe AI is the future of corporate management, and our appointment of Ms Tang Yu represents our commitment to truly embrace the use of AI to transform the way we operate our business, and ultimately drive our future strategic growth."
Decoding Jack Ma’s prediction
If you have been wondering for so long that the concept of robot CEOs is brand-new, that isn’t entirely true. In fact, it was first conceived in 2017 by Jack Ma, the then chairman of the tech major Alibaba. Back then, he had predicted that robots would eventually replace humans as leaders of global companies. During an entrepreneurship conference in China, he was quoted saying, “In 30 years, a rot will likely be on the cover of Time Magazine as the best CEO.” He had further advised the world to be prepared for the same, so that humans don’t have a hard time dealing with the life-altering stances. Looks like Jack Ma’s prediction was true after all, and it didn’t take 30 years, but just 5.