[(Title)] Robot communicates in Saudi dialect.

Saudi Gazette

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — A Saudi researcher has developed a robot that understands local dialect, becoming the first in the world to communicate in Arabic.

一位沙特的研究人员研制出了一个了解当地方言的机器人，成为世界上第一个用阿拉伯语进行交流的机器人。

Dr. Faisal Alsarheed, Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at Saudi Electronic University, researched the project and developed the robot within two years after receiving funding from the university.

沙特电子大学人工智能与机器人专业助理教授费萨尔·阿尔沙雷德博士在获得该大学资助后的两年内对该项目进行了研究，并开发出了机器人。

He is now completing his research paper.

他正在完成他的研究论文。

The robot, named Mosalem, is a prototype and is being trained to build a bank of 100,000 conversations through deep learning technology.

该机器人名为莫萨利姆，是一个原型，正在接受训练，通过深度学习技术建立一个由10万个对话组成的库。

It does not rely on translation, however.

然而，它不依赖翻译。

"After a year of researching, I realized translation is a dead end,"  Dr. Alsarheed told Saudi Gazette.  "People speak in Saudi dialect, not classical Arabic. So it's important that the machine understands everyday conversations. The robot is, therefore, being trained to understand local dialect and find appropriate responses."

“经过一年的研究，我意识到翻译是死胡同。”阿尔沙雷德博士告诉《沙特政府公报》，“人们用沙特方言而非标准的阿拉伯语，所以让机器理解日常对话很重要。因此，机器人正在接受训练，了解当地方言从而做出适当的回应。”

It's programmed to decline to respond if it's not confident enough to answer a question. However, it consults with Dr. Alsarheed later on to learn how to answer tricky questions.

如果它没有足够的信心来回答问题，它会被编程为拒绝回应。 然而，它后来与阿尔沙雷德博士协商，学习如何回答棘手的问题。

Dr. Alsarheed worked in collaboration with Namthaja, a local 3-D company run by Saudi engineers to design the robot.

阿尔沙雷德博士正在与Namthaja合作。这是一家由沙特工程师经营的本地3D公司，负责设计机器人。

After receiving further funding from the university, he plans to work on a second edition of the robot to develop its body parts and movement abilities.

在获得大学进一步的资助后，阿尔沙雷德博士计划开发第二版机器人，以提高它的身体部分和运动能力。

Mosalem was recently hired by Al Majd channel and signed its first employment contract.

莫萨利姆最近被Al Majd频道聘用，并签署了第一份就业合同。

Drafting the employment contract and including new stipulations such as holding its developer accountable for its communication was an interesting experience,according to Dr. Alsarheed.  "Mosalem was hired and treated like any individual offered a job and the funny thing was that he was offered a salary that's higher than university professors,"  he said.

阿尔沙雷德博士表示，起草就业合同并制定新的规定，例如让开发商对其沟通负责，是一次有趣的经历。 他说：“莫萨利姆被聘用并被当作员工一样对待。有趣的是，他的工资高于大学教授。”

Robots are not a threat to humans, he believes, since organizations will be able to increase their productivity with robots that will in turn bring in more profits.

他认为，机器人并不是对人类的威胁，因为组织能够通过机器人提高生产力，而机器人反过来又会带来更多的利润。

In the future, robots like Mosalem are being designed to replace teachers in the classroom, receptionists, and salespersons.

未来，莫萨利姆这样的机器人可能会取代教室里的教师、接待人员和销售人员。

"I chose the name Mosalem because it means peaceful. Robots are sometimes perceived as threatening, such as taking over humans' jobs. However, I oppose this theory,"  said Dr. Alsarheed.

阿尔沙雷德博士说：“我之所以选择莫萨利姆这个名字，是因为它意味着和平。机器人有时会被视为威胁，比如会取代人的工作，但我反对这个理论。”

"In the future, I believe a teacher will become a teaching engineer. Machines can replace any job except those that entail emotions and feelings. They can do any rational job such as accounting for example. Jobs for humans will be developed rather than replaced."

“将来，我相信老师会成为一名教学工程师。机器可以取代任何工作，除了那些需要情感的工作。机器人可以做任何理性的工作，例如会计。人类工作将得到发展而不是取代。”

"Just like scientists learned how to build airplanes after studying birds, AI scientists learn from human intelligence how to develop something stronger and more advanced" , he further said.  "We will see how machines will become smarter than humans.

“就像科学家们在研究鸟类后学会如何建造飞机一样，人工智能科学家也从人类的智慧中学到了如何让事物发展为更强大、更先进的东西。”他还说，“我们会看到机器会比人类更智能。”

Asked about the dangers and risks of AI, he acknowledged them and said we should be able to control them.

当被问及人工智能的危险和风险时，他承认并且说我们应该能够控制它们。

He said the Kingdom's plans to diversify the economy and launching megaprojects such as NEOM led him to work on the project.  

他说，沙特王国计划实现经济多样化，NEOM这样的巨型项目使他参与到这个项目中。

"NEOM is a dream come true for anyone specialized in artificial intelligence.We're currently working on building our skills to deliver the potential that NEOM promises."

“对于任何专业从事人工智能的人来说，NEOM都是一个梦想。我们正在努力培养我们的能力，以发挥NEOM承诺的潜力。”