an AI-driven robot woman becomes CEO of a company with several thousand employees

It’s not science fiction. A robot woman has just been appointed head of a large Chinese company. One of China’s video game leaders, NetDragon Websoft, is behind this first and has entrusted its subsidiary, Fujian NetDragon Websoft, to artificial intelligence. The idea actually goes back several years. In 2017, thanks to AI, the company decided to create a virtual character and give him responsibilities. The company, at the time, wanted to show its customers that the artificial intelligence it was developing for its games could also work in the real life of the company.

This character is therefore Tang Yu, a female robot who started by occupying the position of number 2 of the company, before being appointed to a position of rotating CEO of the company. It’s unprecedented. NetDragon websoft account several thousand employees and handles billions of dollars. Internally, it’s called a virtual digital leader but still has a physical appearance. The face of the robot CEO appears on computer screens in the form of a humanoid, with her strict costume, her perfect haircut. Thanks to artificial intelligence, she is also able to express herself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz8msEaBIJY

But is the robot really running the business? Yes and no, because obviously it is humans who program the robot and who can unplug it at any time. Her powers are therefore not unlimited, but once the program is launched, the robot CEO works in an almost “normal” way. She is able to approve, sign documents, like any CEO, but also to manage projects, evaluate staff performance, and possibly decide on sanctions. “Tang Yu will streamline processes, improve work task quality and execution speed,” rejoices NetDragon. The company highlights its rationality and logic, because unlike humans, it has no feelings. The robot CEO has the advantage of working 24 hours a day, and all that, without being paid.