Cameo Cinema St Helena, CA
Michael Laskey
PhD candidate in electrical engineering and computer sciences, University of California Berkeley
Robot & Frank— Will a robot be your friend?
Program Description
Artificial intelligence: Could it change how we perceive what it means to be human? UC Berkeley robotics engineer Michael Laskey will explore the plausibility of the robot and relationship presented in Robot & Frank, and compare the film's science fiction with current scientific theory in the field of artificial intelligence.
Presented At
Cameo Cinema St Helena, CA
Film Synopsis
In the near future, an ex-jewel thief receives a gift from his son: a robot butler programmed to look after him. But soon the two companions try their luck as a heist team.
In the near future, Frank (Frank Langella) is a retired catburglar living alone, while his successful son, Hunter (James Marsden), tries to care for him from afar. Finally, Hunter gets him a robot caretaker (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), and Frank soon learns that the robot is useful as a burglary aide. As Frank tries to restart his old profession, the uncomfortable realities of a changing world and his worsening dementia threaten to go beyond what any robot can do for him.
About the Speaker
Michael Laskey is scheduled to receive his PhD at UC Berkeley in summer 2018, with a focus on artificial intelligence and robotics. He has worked at Intel, and currently conducts research at Berkeley's Automation Lab, where he has developed and applied several new techniques related to home robotics and self-driving cars.