"My Robot Sophia" bills itself as an inside look at the creation of the world's most famous humanoid robot, but the documentary quickly deflates into what feels like an extended infomercial for Hanson Robotics-a company whose biggest achievements seem to involve headlines and hashtags, not genuine breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
The film offers endless montages of media appearances, awkward talk show gimmicks, and a giddy David Hanson contorting himself (sometimes literally) for the camera. Instead of exploring the true science behind AI, the documentary doubles down on spectacle: Hanson seems perfectly happy to act as his own court jester, delighting in the very public confusion and skepticism Sophia and his company generate. The resulting effect is not inspiring eccentricity, but desperation-Hanson appears to relish his role as the overhyped underdog, fetishizing the company's inability to deliver anything of lasting value beyond a viral moment.
For a film that should be bursting with questions about the ethics and potential of artificial intelligence, "My Robot Sophia" is remarkably thin on substance. There simply isn't enough here to sustain a 90-minute feature. The documentary recycles the same half-truths and PR stunts that have long defined Hanson Robotics, leaving the viewer with more eye rolls than insights.
In the end, "My Robot Sophia" unintentionally makes a convincing case for its own thesis: that some companies, and some personalities, exist happily at the intersection of self-parody and self-promotion, regardless of real impact. Disappointingly, that means there's nothing truly intelligent to see here-robotic or otherwise.
