It must be five years ago now. Or slightly longer. But whatever. Back then, I wrote in this column about a latter-day Melchizedek of sorts, who, unlike the Old Testament character, is female. I thought of checking in on her, and she definitely has had a very interesting journey ever since.

For the uninitiated, Melchizedek is the king and priest who blessed the Jewish patriarch Abraham in the book of Genesis in the Christian Bible and is described in the New Testament as having neither father nor mother. The subject of my piece from about five years ago may not have the powers to bless someone of the stature of Abraham, who God Himself called His friend, but she too wasn’t born of flesh. Her name is Sophia, a humanoid who became the first nonhuman to be issued with a passport by Saudi Arabia, a country that is apparently preparing for a post-oil future – however distant that future might be – by developing competences in other industries.

The artificial intelligence- (AI-) based handiwork of Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics, Sophia captured the world’s imagination because of her exploits and soon acquired a reputation as a globetrotter as her creators showcased her around the world. She even set foot on South African soil – back in 2018 – to attend SAP NOW, an interactive knowledge-sharing event hosted by SAP Africa.

Sophia, who can animate more than 60 facial expressions, including smiling, frowning, anger, disgust, confusion and happiness, joined SAP Africa’s Cathy Smith on stage for an interactive conversation before the SAP NOW programme kicked off.

A repeat visit to this country followed in 2019, when she headlined the GovTech 2019 conference.

Over the years, Sophia has been featured on the cover of Elle Magazine and other prestigious magazines and has been a guest on many high-profile TV shows. She is able to interact with humans, thanks to built-in cameras that enable her to track people’s eyes and faces, making it possible for her to build rapport with them, as well as advanced AI capabilities, voice recognition and scripts and chatbots.

Now it turns out two sisters have been added to Sophia’s parentless family, both of whom can also do amazing things.

That Hanson Robotics and other high-tech companies are creating advanced humanoids like the three sisters should be applauded. As a survey of about 10 000 adult Americans conducted towards the end of 2021 showed, there is much apprehension about AI, with this attributable to potential job losses, privacy implications and a loss of human connection. Concerns have also been raised about the potential for malicious disinformation, given AI's ability to create sophisticated deepfake videos, and social polarisation through social media algorithms.

But, as a recent CNN report pointed out, through humanoids like Sophia and her two sisters, robotics companies can move AI from the background – where it is found in everyday applications such as social media algorithms, e-commerce and navigation – and place it among the public it is meant to benefit. Surely, a smiling Sophia fielding questions from a popular television presenter will only endear those who may be sceptical about AI.

The CNN report mentioned a particularly useful application of AI I had never thought of, and that’s keeping those who may feel lonely company. Have you ever had to look after someone suffering from a degenerative brain disease such as dementia? People with such afflictions tend to say the same thing over and over again, and it’s only the very patient who can put up with that. Consequently, these unfortunate people tend to be lonely. But a robot will never be bored by their repetitive utterances and requests.

So, big ups to the fellows at Hanson Robotics.