"Erica" humanoid robot at the Japan section of Eureka Park® during CES® 2020, Las Vegas.

Erica is ready for her closeup.  And her medium shot, long shot and anything else in the script.

As the star of the upcoming $70 million dollar science-fiction movie "b", she'll be a pioneer of sorts.

That's because Erica is a humanoid, created at Osaka University, in collaboration with the Advanced Telecommunication Research Institute, as an autonomous communication robot.

Filmmaker Sam Khoze is an A.I. technology entrepreneur, CEO of Life Productions, Inc--and the co-creator and producer of "b".   After an extensive search, he cast Erica as the lead.

Currently, "b" is in pre-production.   Sam has broken new ground as the first filmmaker to teach method acting to an AI entity.  He and his team have shot some preliminary scenes in Japan and are looking at resuming production in Hungary, depending on restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

Sam talked about his experiences, shared a preview of some of the surprises we might expect in "b" and offered a look at what these innovations could mean for the future.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:


What the process of casting Erica for the film was like;


Why a robot can be a sympathetic main character (as opposed to Hollywood's tendency to depict robots as villains);


Sam's first impressions, interacting with Erica for the first time;


What the process is like, teaching a humanoid robot method acting;


A funny story from Sam's experiences with Erica while filming some preliminary scenes;


Some of the issues Sam had to keep in mind, when working with a robot instead of a human actor;


What's happening in "b";


Additional robot-related innovations, currently in negotiation, for "b";


What will be involved in the next stages of production;


Where to connect with Erica on her new Instagram account;


One major reason why robots will NOT be replacing humans in the workforce any time soon;


Another groundbreaking AI development which could lead to safer conditions for human actors on future sets.