Self-Aware robot solves riddle

In a surprising and perhaps frightening new twist, a robot has demonstrated that it exhibits a degree of self-awareness for the very first time, reports Business Insider.

According to Business Insider, in an experiment conducted by Professor Selma Bringsjord of New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a robot proved that it was capable of responding to a logic puzzle based off the premise of the traditional "wise men" riddle.

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The original riddle involves a king calling the three wisest men in the country and giving them all either a white or blue hat to wear atop their head. They can all see each other's hat. Without communicating with each other, they are left to work out the color of the hat by what the others are wearing.

Up until now, only people—not robots—have been able to solve this riddle.

In the updated version of a puzzle used by Professor Bringsjord, the robots were programmed to believe that two of them were given a "dumbing pill" that would cause them to lose the ability to speak, reports Business Insider.

Two of the robots were, in fact, muted when a programmer pushed a button on the top of their heads. One robot had a placebo button and was not muted.

Business Insider reports, the robot with the placebo button rose to the challenge. When a researcher asked all three robots which pill they had received, the one that was not muted responded, "I don't know." The robot then stood up and waved its hand. It added, "I know now. I was able to prove that I was not given a dumbing pill."

The robot demonstrated the ability to understand the contest's rules, recognize the sound of its own voice and display a level of self-awareness to distinguish itself from the other two robots. It also opened the door to the possibility that self-aware robots could make their way into the future.