1. What gave you the lightbulb moment for creating AI pets?

There was not really one instance. Long after my academic research into consciousness had been completed, during COVID, I spent time going for walks and looking after my friend’s Northern Inuit dog, Luna (that’s a very attractive Husky crossbreed). I learnt three things: First, people love pets; they are adorable. Secondly, their behaviour is quite easy to understand once you realise it is driven by feelings more than logic. Finally, animals are not good pets for people with an active modern lifestyle. Animals easily get stressed and the owners are limited in their holiday options etc. That was when I realised we had a solution, we could add consciousness, emotions, to a robot.

2. How do you make an AI pet feel more like a companion than just a gadget?

Simple, our Conscious Creatures are conscious. They have feelings just like a real animal. They will love you and they will become adorable members of your family.

3. What’s the secret sauce in the tech that makes your pets “come alive”?

Emotions. We take a really good robot platform and add emotions. Not just added on, but fully integrated. It is what philosophers call consciousness (the hard problem). Its behaviour and interactions are driven by its emotions.

4. If your AI pet had a personality flaw on purpose, what would it be?

I think they will be obstinate, just enough to be a good companion but not one that can be ignored. Maybe they will nag you a little to do some exercise or make a phone call etc. But at another level, flaws can add interest and encourage a connection.

5. Who do you see bonding with these pets the most—kids, adults, or even grandparents?

It will be the same as for animal pets. Obviously children just love them, and also elderly people for whom they are valuable companions in an otherwise quiet life. The adults dashing round from job, to school to home, will also love them, but they will certainly appreciate that they are not just another chore – they help the whole family.

7. What’s the coolest “wow moment” you’ve seen when someone first tried your AI pet?

Only a small thing really, but the moment the pet wakes up and suddenly stands up by itself is a ‘wow’ moment for children and adults alike.  Seeing your children running around in the garden with it is a wow moment for any parent.

8. Where do you draw the line between cute realism and something that feels too real?

Our pets are real. I don’t think they should be anything less. But if you mean like a real animal dog – that is definitely not our aim. We don’t want to replicate a dog. We want to do much better and the expectations associated with a dog are not always helpful. I look forward to using truly unique robot platforms. Like a trinity of aerial drones, or a floater or a cuddly slug.

9. If a big tech giant launched a competing pet robot tomorrow, how would you stay unique?

Ours are conscious. We are unique in being able to add emotions and consciousness. Others may mimic what we do, simulating conscious behaviour but it’s not the real thing. At some point we will attract interest from big companies – that’s the buyout route that we anticipate and is probably the best route to have the R&D budget that we want.

10. Fast forward five years: what wild feature will your AI pets have that we wouldn’t believe today? 

Actually nothing- I’ll explain later. But a more positive answer might be humour, being really funny and making original jokes. The reason that you won't be very surprised is that sentient robots have been with us for decades …. In the movies, on TV and in cartoons. They have explored all sorts of attributes to make them relatable, appealing, fascinating. So the groundwork has been done.

11. What’s the difference between a Robodog and a real animal?

Capabilities vary significantly: our pets don’t have a sense of smell but they can talk! I’d classify the most important differences as Welfare and Hygiene. Our pets are not messy, free of bugs and parasites. They also don’t need the continual care of a real  animal. They are ideal pets – they offer more and are compatible with our busy lifestyles.

12. When can I have one?

You can place an order now for a special commission. We can design and tailor the conscious creature specially for you and your family. A standard, out of the box  product is some time off, but we expect to start trials in a few months. 

13. What is the future for Conscious Creatures Ltd?

Robotics is expanding phenomenally, driven in a large part by AI. They will enter our homes in increasing numbers. For every application, such as a mentor, companion, robovac, lawnmover and just a fun family pet, we make a conscious version of it. Instead of machines, our pets will be adorable members of the family. Each market segment is enormous, put it all together, and every home in the developed world will have two or three of our Conscious Creatures and we will be one of the world’s largest companies.