Episode 91: The Future is Robots and AI-Powered Software with Suzanne Gildert

Are we headed for a real-life version of Westworld? In this episode of the Impact Podcast, Jon Prial welcomes Suzanne Gildert, the Founder and CEO of Sanctuary AI, a startup that builds human-like robots called synths, or synthetic humans, complete with human-like bodies and minds. Together, they discuss robots and AI-powered software, and what it will take for them to become a part of business processes. They also cover learning and training AIs. 

You’ll hear about:

• What it takes to make an effective AI
• The right way to train an AI
• The rise of AI ethics and AI rights

Who is Suzanne Gildert?

Suzanne is founder and CEO of Sanctuary AI, a company with a mission to create ultra human-like robots — “synths” — that are indistinguishable from us physically, cognitively and emotionally. Sanctuary is structured to explore both cutting edge technology and the ethical issues that arise from creating human-like machines. The company strives to create a micro-society in which synths can develop and be granted a safe haven as they transition into full acceptance by our wider society.

Prior to Sanctuary, Suzanne founded Kindred Inc., an artificial intelligence and robotics company. She hand built over 30 robots to demonstrate Kindred’s core technology concept of human-robot teleoperation for reinforcement learning. She grew the company to over 50 employees and opened offices in Vancouver, Toronto, and San Mateo. She helped raise over $50 million in venture funding for Kindred from top tier investors including Eclipse, Google Ventures, First Round Capital and Data Collective.