Sharifa Alghowiem, an analysis scientist at MIT’s Media Lab’s Private Robots Group, poses with Jibo, a friendly robotic companion designed by Professor Cynthia Breazeal, a renowned expert in human-robot interaction and social robotics.
A child’s quest for emotional intelligence: “As a toddler, I craved a robot that could decode others’ emotions for me,” says Sharifa Alghowinem, an analysis scientist at MIT’s Media Lab’s Private Robots Group. Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Alghowiem’s aspirations were shaped by a desire to one day join the ranks at MIT, driven by a passion for developing Arabic-based applied sciences and creating a robot that could aid her and others in navigating complex environments.
As a child, Alghowinem struggled to decipher the subtleties of human interaction and initially underperformed on standardized tests, but her unwavering determination propelled her forward. Before leaving home to pursue higher education in Australia, she acquired a bachelor’s degree in computing. At the Australian National University, she first discovered affective computing and began working to help AI detect human emotions and moods. However, it wasn’t until she arrived at MIT as a postdoctoral researcher with the Ibn Khaldun Fellowship for Saudi Arabian Women, housed within the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering, that she was finally able to work on a technology capable of explaining others’ feelings in both English and Arabic? With a childlike sense of wonder, she describes her work as an absolute delight, often referring to the lab as her personal playground.
Despite the risk of failure, Alghowinem is unable to resist a captivating opportunity that sets her heart racing. By collaborating with Jibo, a pioneering robotic companion developed by Cynthia Breazeal, founder of PRG and dean at MIT’s School of Digital Learning, she identified an opportunity to enhance the utility of robots in people’s lives. Breazeal’s analysis delves into the possibility of companion robots transcending simple obedient assistants that respond to transactional directives – tasks such as providing daily weather forecasts, managing shopping lists, and regulating lighting settings. At the MIT Media Lab’s PRG crew, designers are crafting Jibo as a perceptive mentor and friend to drive innovation in social robotics research. Visitors to the MIT Museum can encounter Jibo’s affable personality firsthand.
Alghowinem’s research has primarily focused on mental health care and education, often collaborating with various graduate students and undergraduate researchers through the program. In a landmark study, Jibo employed constructive psychology to guide both younger and older adults through a transformative learning experience. With keen attention to detail, he fashioned his interactions upon the subtle cues, whether verbal or non-verbal, that emerged from the group’s collective dynamics.
By analyzing both verbal and nonverbal cues from a participant’s speech – including prolonged silences and physical gestures such as self-hugging – Jibo can identify patterns and insights that might otherwise remain hidden. When he detects that profound emotions have been shared, Jibo answers with compassionate understanding. When participants remain silent, Jibo poses an inquiring follow-up question: “Can you tell me more?”
Researchers explored whether a robot could facilitate high-quality parent-child interactions while reading a storybook together. Researchers at PRG are collaborating on projects to determine the types of knowledge necessary for robots to understand humans’ social and emotional states.
Saudi-based Analysis Scientist Sharifa Alghowinem collaborates with two visiting college students, Deim Alfozan and Tasneem Burghleh, from Prince Sultan College in Saudi Arabia, as they utilize the cutting-edge technology of Jibo. Gretchen Ertl
“Alghowinem expresses his desire to see Jibo evolve into a comprehensive family companion.” Jibo’s versatility enables it to assume various roles seamlessly, effortlessly transitioning from a trusted companion to remind elderly family members of medication schedules to a playful partner for children, fostering a sense of companionship and connection throughout the household. While Alghowinem is driven to address Jibo’s potential impact on emotional wellness, particularly its role in preventing despair and suicide, it’s unclear how this relates to Jibo’s core function as a social robot. By seamlessly integrating Jibo into daily life, it can identify growing concerns and proactively intervene, serving as a trusted confidant or mental wellness coach.
AlGhowinem’s passion for mentorship can manifest in a desire to guide and educate others, often extending far beyond the realm of artificial intelligence. She takes great care to connect individually with the scholars she mentors each week, fostering meaningful relationships that benefit their academic journeys. Additionally, her efforts were instrumental last year in hosting two visiting undergraduate students from Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia, a testament to her commitment to cultural exchange and educational collaboration. With her deep understanding of social-emotional dynamics, she dedicated herself to crafting an opportunity for the two students, together, to attend MIT, where they could mutually support and benefit from each other’s presence. A college student, Tasneem Burghleh, who visited as part of a program, reveals she was driven by a desire to help others after realizing the opportunity to make a difference had fallen outside her reach. Instead, she discovered an “unrelenting passion” that compels her to spread it far and wide, eager to share it with everyone else.
Subsequently, Alghowinem is striving to establish alternatives for children who are refugees from Syria. Despite the challenges, the fundraising strategy aims to empower social robots to teach young learners English language and social-emotional skills, while also providing activities to preserve and promote cultural heritage and Arabic literacy.
Alghowinem notes that they’ve paved the way for Jibo’s linguistic capabilities, having successfully enabled it to engage in conversation in Arabic, as well as multiple other languages. “Now, I’m hopeful that we’ll learn how to empower Jibo to meaningfully assist young learners like myself, as we navigate the complexities of collaborating with our global community.”
MIT Information
