Pepper the robot spreading its cute vibes to Canada
Canadian bank ATB Financials will soon start using the humanoid robot to greet customers, according to ZDNet.
Fear of artificial intelligence is real, and Canada has a problem on its hands: The country may soon be killed by cuteness.
After taking trips to the US and Europe, Japan's Pepper robot will soon start working for Canada's ATB Financials bank. The humanoid robot will be greeting customers in Calgary later this month, reports ZDNet.
"Banks suck at creating great customer experiences," admitted ATB Financial's Chief Transformation Officer Wellington Holbrook at the SAP Sapphire Now conference in Orlando last week. "What we're learning from Pepper is people actually love engaging with a cute little robot that can dance and say nice things to you."
Pepper, an AI-powered robot developed by Japanese carrier SoftBank, debuted in Japan early 2015. Each time a wave of robots went to market, all would promptly sell out within a minute.
He's shown up in multiple countries since, greeting customers in Californian tech stores and helping people find groceries in a French supermarket. Pepper was last seen at CES earlier this year, where the robot played Cards Against Humanity against CNET's own Katie Collins.