British MPs made history today as they took evidence from a robot for the first time ever. Pepper the robot spoke to the education select committee on the rise of artificial intelligence and how UK schools should respond. The stunt was the first time a non-human has been invited to speak to Parliament in its 700-year history. Pepper, who spoke in an America accent, is a humanoid robot based at the University of Middlesex. Education Select Committee chairman and Tory MP Robert Halfon invited the machine to speak to MPs after being impressed with her on a visit to the university.

In the hopes of relieving building pressures in hospitals and care homes, researchers are developing'culturally aware' robots. The emotional machines could help care for the elderly, assisting them in taking their medications and offering them companionship. Researchers have been awarded £2 million ($2.5 million) in funding to develop the bots over the next three years. In the hopes of relieving building pressures in hospitals and care homes, researchers are developing'culturally aware' robots. Pepper went on sale to consumers in Japan in June 2015 and then enterprise customers, who pay for the bot on a three-year rental basis worth around $16,000 (£12,188.80),