# Humanoid Robots as Agents of Human Consciousness Expansion

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.07791 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.07791/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 22 Sep 2017.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Sentience Quest: Towards Embodied, Emotionally Adaptive, Self-Evolving, Ethically Aligned Artificial General Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.12229/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The "Loving AI" project involves developing software enabling humanoid robots to interact with people in loving and compassionate ways, and to promote people' self-understanding and self-transcendence. Currently the project centers on the Hanson Robotics robot "Sophia" -- specifically, on supplying Sophia with personality content and cognitive, linguistic, perceptual and behavioral content aimed at enabling loving interactions supportive of human self-transcendence. In September 2017 a small pilot study was conducted, involving the Sophia robot leading human subjects through dialogues and exercises focused on meditation, visualization and relaxation. The pilot was an apparent success, qualitatively demonstrating the viability of the approach and the ability of appropriate human-robot interaction to increase human well-being and advance human consciousness.