--- title: "A Robot Is Scheduled to Testify in Front of the UK Parliament" description: "Pepper the robot will soon appear in front of the U.K. Parliament. Nobody, including the lawmakers who arranged the robot testimony, seem to know why." date: "2018-10-11" modified: "2018-10-11" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/robot-testimony-pepper-parliament" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "Pepper" - "robert halfon" - "softbank robotics" - "the digest" --- # A Robot Is Scheduled to Testify in Front of the UK Parliament ![A robot named Pepper will appear in front of the UK Parliament next week. Nobody, including the lawmakers who arranged the interview, seem to know why.]() *\Image: Softbank Robotics\* ## Expert Witness On October 16, the U.K. Parliament [will hear testimony]() from a peculiar witness. Name: Pepper Occupation: Robot ## Please Rise The appointment, [first spotted]() by the U.K. publication *TES,* will occur during an inquiry on the "fourth industrial revolution," a loose term technologists use to refer to technology that blends [physical, biological, and digital components](). Pepper is the last witness after a selection of academics, roboticists, and computer scientists. [According to the *BBC*](), this will be the first time a robot has appeared before British lawmakers. But Robert Halfon, the chair of the committee that will hear from Pepper, struggled to explain the point of the robot testimony. "This is not about someone bringing an electronic toy robot and doing a demonstration, it’s about showing the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence and the impact it has on skills," he told *TES.* ## Pepper Spray We've [written previously]() about Pepper, a line of robots created by Japan's SoftBank Robotics. The robot has limited conversational ability and can interpret and respond to emotions. Brands that have dabbled with using Pepper to interact with customers [include Pizza Hut]() and a Scottish grocery store, which eventually [fired the robot](). We'll be watching to see if the bot can do any better in Parliament. **READ MORE:** [MPs to Quiz Robot About Education]() \[*TES*\] ***More on Pepper: [Meet Pepper, the Cute Little Robot Knows That How You’re Feelin]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()