{"id":290412,"date":"2023-09-19T18:28:56","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T23:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=290412"},"modified":"2023-09-20T13:14:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T18:14:54","slug":"las-vegas-sphere-debuts-life-like-robot-greeters-raises-new-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-sphere-debuts-life-like-robot-greeters-raises-new-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Vegas Sphere to Debut Lifelike Robot Greeters, Raising Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Humanoid robots will greet guests entering the Sphere in Las Vegas, the venue announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>According to a news release, five life-like units, all named &#8220;Aura,&#8221; will welcome guests ahead of events and tell the story of humanity&#8217;s &#8220;history of innovation,&#8221; a history that naturally ends at the Sphere. (Where else?)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_290415\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-290415\" data-style=\"width: 858px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-290415 size-post-thumbnail-858xAUTO\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sphere-entertainment1-858x573.jpg\" alt=\"Aura Robot at Sphere Las Vegas\" width=\"858\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sphere-entertainment1-858x573.jpg 858w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sphere-entertainment1-430x287.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sphere-entertainment1-238x158.jpg 238w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sphere-entertainment1.jpg 1111w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-290415\"class=\"text-description\">Aura robots will provide directions and answer questions in their duties as greeters at the MSG Sphere, which opens in Las Vegas on Sept. 29. (Image: Sphere Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI find it stunning, some people may find it creepy, but everybody will find it fascinating,&#8221; David Dibble, CEO of Sphere Entertainment\u2019s MSG Ventures division, told <em>USA Today. <\/em>&#8220;She sees you, and as you move around, she&#8217;ll follow you, she&#8217;ll track you, she&#8217;ll interact with you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Aura robots are programmed to provide directions inside the venue and details on each day&#8217;s performances. They can also answer detailed questions about the venue\u2019s engineering and technology<\/p>\n<p>Since the robots use artificial intelligence to learn, according to Sphere officials, each interaction with a human will serve as an opportunity for all the units to advance their technical capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the Aura prototype will serve as Sphere\u2019s &#8220;spokesbot&#8221; and brand ambassador across digital platforms and social channels. Earlier this year, &#8220;she&#8221; appeared in a Sphere commercial that aired during the Academy Awards.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a video of an Aura robot posted by KLAS-TV on YouTube:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_FO1Wg151Go?si=pg6vkDlFHNwWgSei\" width=\"250\" height=\"140\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Sphere is set to open on Friday, Sept. 29, when the venue serves as the host for U2&#8217;s first Las Vegas residency.<\/p>\n<h2>Novelty or Dangerous Threat?<\/h2>\n<p>Robots in a high-tech atmosphere are certainly appropriate, and the novelty factor is huge with the Aura units. But are we celebrating machines that will eventually make all human jobs obsolete?<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, the World Economic Forum released a report estimating that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in labor division between humans and machines.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_290417\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-290417\" data-style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-290417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pepper-mandarin2-858x752.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"315\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pepper-mandarin2-858x752.jpg 858w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pepper-mandarin2-430x377.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pepper-mandarin2.jpg 1111w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-290417\"class=\"text-description\">Pepper was technically Las Vegas&#8217; first robot greeter. Since 2017, &#8220;he&#8221; has welcomed guests to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel\u2019s 23rd-floor Sky Lobby. (Image: luxurypictures.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In Las Vegas, the threat of automation looms particularly large. Studies show that between 38% and 65% of all Strip jobs could be fully automated in the next 10 to 15 years. Already, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/get-served-by-tomorrows-robots-in-las-vegas-today\/\">robots serve food and drinks and work as front-desk agents, <\/a>while text-bots make restaurant recommendations instead of concierges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNew technology being introduced in the workplace is not new,\u201d Bethany Khan, a spokeswoman for Culinary Workers Union Local 226 &#8212; which represents about 60K workers in Las Vegas\u2019 hospitality industry &#8212; told <em>Casino.org<\/em>\u00a0last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHospitality jobs will continue to change and evolve as they always have,&#8221; Khan said. &#8220;The Culinary Union\u2019s innovative technology language ensures that workers can grow with technology, have a seat at the table, and that new technology is implemented in a worker-centered way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later this year, the Culinary Union hopes to have a new negotiated contract that includes protections against AI replacing jobs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Humanoid robots will greet guests entering the Sphere in Las Vegas, the venue announced Tuesday. According to a news release, five life-like units, all named &#8220;Aura,&#8221; will welcome guests ahead of events and tell the story of humanity&#8217;s &#8220;history of innovation,&#8221; a history that naturally ends at the Sphere. (Where else?) \u201cI find it stunning, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":290415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81886,16693],"tags":[87833,23,83668,83238,83667,85879],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Las Vegas Sphere to Debut Lifelike Robot Greeters, Raising Questions - Casino.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Humanoid robots will greet guests entering the Sphere in Las Vegas, the venue announced Tuesday. 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According to a news release, five life-like units, all\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-sphere-debuts-life-like-robot-greeters-raises-new-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-19T23:28:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-20T18:14:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sphere-entertainment1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1111\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"742\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Corey Levitan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Corey Levitan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-sphere-debuts-life-like-robot-greeters-raises-new-questions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-sphere-debuts-life-like-robot-greeters-raises-new-questions\/\",\"name\":\"Las Vegas Sphere to Debut Lifelike Robot Greeters, Raising Questions - Casino.org\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-sphere-debuts-life-like-robot-greeters-raises-new-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/las-vegas-sphere-debuts-life-like-robot-greeters-raises-new-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sphere-entertainment1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-19T23:28:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-20T18:14:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/281fd7b5480c9afb75e84ffb75039f09\"},\"description\":\"Humanoid robots will greet guests entering the Sphere in Las Vegas, the venue announced Tuesday. 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