Faces of the Future: Humanoid Makeup

I’m going to describe a woman to you. She is around 35 years of age. She has white skin, a thin frame, and blue eyes. She speaks in an American English dialect. Her clothing is modest, and her skin is clear. She wears slight makeup and a gentle smile.

This woman, not a rarity, sounds like a cool aunt, a neighbor, or a professor. She is the average female figure in our everyday lives. But how common is she really? Only about 30 percent of the world population, as explained by Snopes.com, is Caucasian and only 8 percent have blue eyes. As the game of guess-who gets smaller and smaller, this woman becomes less and less common, inspiring the question: Is she even human at all?

Sophia the Robot, the woman humanoid described above, was created by Hanson Robotics in April of 2015. David Hanson, her creator, modeled Sophia after the historic icon and actress Audrey Hepburn. Sophia is classic and pretty. She is a reflection of the woman we so casually know, designed to meticulously simulate the human experience. Since her creation, she has travelled worldwide, becoming a global face of innovation and creation. In the words of Hanson Robotics, “She has become a media darling, appearing on major media outlets around the world, igniting the interest of people regardless of age, gender, and culture, even gracing the cover of one of the top fashion magazines.”

Sophia, a model inspired by and created for the human population, is the face of the future.

For centuries, the face of the future has almost always been one that looks exactly like Sophia. Besides being a woman, she resembles a member of the white American, upper-middle class. If she is meant to embody the human experience, then it is a very specific and privileged one at that. In the past decade, the global awareness of others and inclusivity of all demographics has made immense progress. To yet again pin a white, middle-aged American at the forefront of it all seems besides boring.

Sophia, originally created in Hong Kong at Hanson Robotics, has travelled worldwide and even became a citizen of Saudi Arabia. She has attracted over 10 billion viewings across all forms of media, from those astonished by her impressive language and expression. With such a massive, diverse audience, it is important that society’s leaders break the status quo rather than enforce it.

Next is the issue of attention. Who would care less if Sophia was black? Or Asian? Would she obtain the same amount of views on YouTube, or invitations to speak at conferences, interviews, and meetings of the intelligence community? To address this problem is virtually the same as addressing racism and prejudice in humans as it is in robots.

That being said, imagine an Indian Sophia. India contributes 1.3 billion lives into the global population. They too are at the forefront of technology, producing some of the smartest, most innovative thinkers in the world. Imagine if they saw a humanoid of their own race; one representing a culture not often recognized in the Western world. The feeling of inclusivity is unmatched, especially living in a society that is still working towards equality.

Students at FIT are at the forefront of technology, culture, and design. The newest creations today are the norms of tomorrow. Additionally, we are a diverse campus, which churns out partnerships, ideas, and unmatched growth that could not be achieved otherwise. The next Hanson Robotics could be among us, or even reading this right now. This is why it is so important to be inclusive.

Until more robots immerse into society, as Hanson Robotics predicts they will, it’s hard to pinpoint how they will impact the global community. Sophia’s goal is to aid in the lifestyles of the elderly, lonely, and needy, ranging from occupations like hospice workers to personal assistants. Until then, it is our job as artists, designers, creative thinkers, innovators, and most important, FIT students, to change world in our own humbling, human way.

By Grace Peisker

Produced by Kayla Nicholson

Photography by Chloe Chandler

Makeup by Danielle Duvidzon

Stylist Domenica Romo

Modeled by Eric Maginnis, Iman Bokhari, Atlantys Tunicael, Ava, John