Robot Company Will Pay $200k for Your Face—If It’s Friendly Enough

The firm that lowered peak Arnold Schwarzenegger to a ghastly golem and introduced us the pleasant however dimwitted Times Square diarrhea probe is providing $200,000 on your face. Forever. Plus, your voice without cost. Ominously, in accordance with the location, a robotic model of the profitable face ought to “start its activities” in 2023.

Here’s Promobot’s provide, per a press release:

“…seeking a face for a humanoid robot-assistant which will work in hotels, shopping malls and other crowded places. The company is ready to pay out $200,000 to somebody willing to transfer the rights to use one’s face forever.”

You may reside perpetually.

Promobot is contemplating folks of all genders and races over 25, so your odds appear to hinge on this major qualification, introduced on the web site with this textual content, adopted instantly by the picture under:

A candidate will need to have a “kind and friendly” face!

Are you certain you’re okay with this? Look once more:

If your reply is scan me and write the verify!, you may turn into a CPAC servant or a squid sport ref or, extra possible, the pleasant face of company surveillance. In one paragraph, Promobot touts its facial recognition tech, then references “new clients” eagerly dashing the human bots to marketplace for a “large-scale project” and wishes a licensed face to “avoid legal delays.” (i.e., not reliving the time Arnold Schwarzenegger sued them.)

Said consumer is an American firm, they are saying, “supplying solutions to airports, shopping malls and retail stores,” all places where facial recognition is now widespread. In teeny-tiny faint print under the press launch, it mentions that its robots are utilized in Walmart, Baltimore-Washington Airport, and Dubai Mall. Who says this? These are the individuals who introduced you a coronavirus diagnostic robotic utilizing a touchscreen, simply as we have been getting ready to washing our cash.

It’s additionally headquartered in Russia however claims to have been based in Philadelphia. Mystifying.

Promobot has not responded to a request for touch upon the robotic’s use or whether or not the particular person with the profitable face might be knowledgeable of potential makes use of, however we’ll replace the put up if we hear again.