Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend XX
[0] Conan O 'Brien needs a fan.
[1] Want to talk to Conan?
[2] Visit team cocoa .com slash call Conan.
[3] Okay, let's get started.
[4] Yes.
[5] Hi there, Abee.
[6] You did it.
[7] I am here.
[8] I am here.
[9] Sorry, apologize for maybe.
[10] It's hard to know through Zoom how loud I am going to be sounded on your guys' assent.
[11] Sir, your name is a B. Is that correct?
[12] Are you a B?
[13] Yes, sir, you got me right.
[14] I have my name on a piece of paper.
[15] And a B, yes, you have an A and then a bumblebee.
[16] I'm just explaining this to the people in the audio world.
[17] A B, your sound, it sounds like you're either God or you're trapped in the bottom of a well.
[18] What's happening with your sound?
[19] I still need to figure out what exactly is happening, but I don't think I'm a God, because if I was a God, I don't know, I would be in there with you in person, perhaps.
[20] That's right.
[21] That's so nice.
[22] That's so nice to be, because truly, I'm in heaven.
[23] That's everyone's...
[24] Heaven is a podcast.
[25] Exactly.
[26] Exactly.
[27] Heaven is a chatty podcast with a lot of stupidity in it.
[28] B, so nice to talk to you.
[29] Where are you right now?
[30] So I am in a wonderful place.
[31] I'm going to give you a hint so you can guess where I am.
[32] Okay.
[33] I am in heaven also, but on the other side of it.
[34] the road.
[35] So in front of me is the Middle East and I'm right in Central.
[36] Can you get the guess?
[37] No. In front of me is the Middle East.
[38] The club, Middle East.
[39] The what?
[40] The club?
[41] It's a famous...
[42] Oh, wait a minute.
[43] Are you in Cambridge?
[44] I am in Cambridge Central Square.
[45] Oh, wow.
[46] You're in Central Square, Cambridge.
[47] Yeah, that's an old haunt of mine from back in the day.
[48] Yes.
[49] I used to hang out there back, way back when.
[50] Hundreds of years ago when I was in Cambridge.
[51] Oh, so do you go to school there?
[52] Are you employed in Cambridge, Mass?
[53] That's a good question.
[54] I am no longer a student.
[55] I am working full time, and I work as a human -robot -interaction researcher.
[56] Whoa.
[57] I'm sorry, a human...
[58] Oh, I thought you said human -robot.
[59] You mean human -slash -robot interaction researcher.
[60] That's what you mean, right?
[61] Actually, that's a very good sort of take on it, because I do get to research how humans behave and also get to work on robots and how to design robots so they can interact with humans.
[62] Yes, yes.
[63] I guess when you first said it, it sounds like I'm a human robot interactions person, and I thought, what's a human robot?
[64] I've only met one, and his name is Jordan Schlansky.
[65] So that took me back a little bit, but I see it's, so you work on how to get robots and humans to work together, essentially.
[66] Is that true?
[67] Exactly.
[68] That's it.
[69] Do you design robots?
[70] What kind of robots?
[71] due design.
[72] That's a very good question.
[73] I can actually show you for the listeners who cannot really see what I'm showing Conan.
[74] Well, I'll describe it.
[75] It's a hold it up.
[76] Let's see.
[77] Oh, look at that.
[78] Wow.
[79] Wow, he's pretty buff.
[80] That is a very muscular.
[81] It's white.
[82] It appears to be about three and a half to three and a half feet tall or four feet tall.
[83] It's quite muscular white robot with a screen for a face.
[84] It looks like it's wearing a space helmet.
[85] And it's really cute, actually.
[86] What's the name of that robot?
[87] So the name of this robot is cutie.
[88] Oh, cutey.
[89] Oh, hi, cutie.
[90] How are you?
[91] Do not call me cutie.
[92] My name is Tuffy.
[93] Don't listen to him.
[94] I hate it when people call me cutie.
[95] That's sexual harassment.
[96] I'm suing all of you.
[97] Bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, all of you.
[98] Wow.
[99] Oh, well, cutie, did you build cute?
[100] No, so I did not physically build the robot.
[101] This is a consumer robot that I'm working with, and I'm designing software, and I'm designing interactions that this robot can have with people.
[102] So that robot, oh, I see.
[103] So your job is to figure out how can I get this robot to interact with people as a companion?
[104] Is that the idea primarily?
[105] Exactly.
[106] That's what I tell people that this is a tabletop companion robot.
[107] So you can see it's a non -mobile robot.
[108] It does not move around.
[109] It's supposed to be a stationary.
[110] at a place and then it can move or it can move its head, it can wave its arm, and it can just like talk and interact with you.
[111] What?
[112] Now, do you think in the near future we will be interacting with robots?
[113] We'll have robot friends, robots that help us do things, robots that, because that was always the dream that was promised to us when I was a kid in the 1960s and 70s, they said, oh, there's going to be robots and you're going to be able to play with them and be friends.
[114] and then all we got was these goddamn laptops and iPhones.
[115] And it's like, screw that noise.
[116] I want a robot that will play with me. You know, you're always thinking ahead of others, I believe.
[117] Thank you.
[118] I appreciate and I really acknowledge the intellect and the smartness that you have.
[119] Conan, I've always been a huge fan of that.
[120] I really mean that.
[121] You know, can I say something, Abee?
[122] Whoever programmed you did a beautiful job.
[123] because I love everything you just said and whoever, by hats off to your manufacturer.
[124] Exactly.
[125] I think cutie just moved and came awake.
[126] It did.
[127] Oh, look.
[128] You know what's funny?
[129] Look, it's making a little wake -up face.
[130] It is cute.
[131] Its screen is animated and it's got cute little eyes and you know what's funny?
[132] It woke up just as you were praising me and on the background it started rolling its eyes.
[133] The robot actually said, what a load of horse shit.
[134] Oh no, Abby, Qudy has a knife.
[135] Oh, no, oh, no. I need too far away from him.
[136] Abi, this is a concern.
[137] Do you ever worry that Qudy will rise up and destroy you, his master?
[138] That's something that I was thinking you might bring up.
[139] But I'm not scared of Qutti at all.
[140] Look at it.
[141] Look at Qutti.
[142] What bad can it do?
[143] It doesn't move around.
[144] Well, that's the dumbest thing you'll ever say.
[145] Of course he can rise up and destroy you.
[146] They always start out looking cute.
[147] You know, Hal in 2001 looked cute.
[148] Don't be deceived by cutie.
[149] I would make sure that he is unplugged when you go to sleep at night.
[150] I would make sure that...
[151] Look how cute Terminator was.
[152] Or even wasn't there like a movie Chucky?
[153] The doll Chucky from the movie.
[154] Wasn't that like a robot sort of?
[155] No, he's not a robot.
[156] He's the possessed soul of a serial killer.
[157] Yeah.
[158] And also, he doesn't look.
[159] He looks cute.
[160] He looks like me in adolescence.
[161] So don't be fooled.
[162] No, I just think you should cutie right now is standing behind you and blinking and doing his best to look like a happy go lucky robot.
[163] But we all know that this ends very badly.
[164] Yeah.
[165] So it's been nice talking to you.
[166] I think you've got about a month to live.
[167] Well, what kind of, what would you like to accomplish?
[168] Like, what are your dreams?
[169] What would you like to accomplish with robotics?
[170] There are so many things.
[171] So the place where I work with my colleagues and I, you know, team, we're thinking of how robotics can be a beneficial asset to elderly people, to like your grandparents, for example.
[172] And my dream is to see sort of robotics be a really positive impact to their lives and to others also.
[173] So that's my current goal.
[174] And it's a very long -term goal.
[175] And there's a lot of research that needs to happen to make that reality.
[176] It's very nice.
[177] You're saying that elderly people maybe.
[178] who don't have companionship, robots could actually give them some joy and some happiness by interacting with them, doing things with them.
[179] Is that right?
[180] Absolutely.
[181] So part of my work is user research, which is reaching out to elderly people, going to their homes, looking at how they are actually interacting with others and just like living their lives and what their problems are.
[182] And they have a lot of physical assistantship that they can benefit from by having Robotics.
[183] One of the big problems that come up is they feel lonely.
[184] They want to talk to their grandkids.
[185] How can that be made possible?
[186] They're not that grid with mobile phones, laptops, as you said.
[187] Maybe robots are better at sort of bridging that gap.
[188] And maybe that's what we can experiment with and then see whether that makes an impact.
[189] I think that's very nice.
[190] I do think, though, if these robots are very intelligent, which they would be, because they're robots, they might very soon start saying to the elderly people, you've told this story before.
[191] Not again.
[192] Not again.
[193] Oh, come on.
[194] The 50s couldn't have been that great.
[195] No, you did not fight in World War II.
[196] You just watched a lot of World War II movies.
[197] I do not want any more hard candy.
[198] This candy is from last Christmas.
[199] You know, what would be nice, what would be nice is, If elderly folks say to robots that, hey, it's time for my 10K run, would you come with me?
[200] And the robot is like, oh, I have to run again with the person.
[201] Right.
[202] That's nice.
[203] I like it.
[204] I would like a robot that just would say, what are you talking about, Dr. O 'Brien?
[205] Your son called yesterday.
[206] Why are you bitching that he never calls?
[207] I have proof.
[208] He called it 1044 yesterday.
[209] And still, you're bitching he never calls.
[210] What about an audience of robots for Conan, so he has an audience all the time?
[211] I mean, it's kind of like, you know, can you see this shirt here?
[212] Yes, it has my name on it.
[213] This is the proof of me actually going to a taping of yours because I was selected to be on the stage, like one of those 10 people who get the shirt.
[214] If you remember, hey, so I got this shirt.
[215] It has the word audience here, so it's like legit.
[216] And if I can actually dish a shirt for cutie robot and then.
[217] We have a robot audience for Conan.
[218] So that's nice.
[219] So you made a Conan shirt for QD.
[220] And