AI systems already display vision, language and controlled motor skills, but researchers are looking to answer the question: 'When will we have robots that can do housework, communicate in natural language conversations and defend themselves against discrimination?' At the global artificial intelligence conference IJCAI-ECAI 2018 held in Stockholm, Sweden, AI experts and research students from top universities around the world came together to discuss the state of AI as it stands today, and where we are headed in the not-so-distant future. "There won't be a Big AI Bang where complete AI systems suddenly surround us in the next year," says Christian Guttmann, Executive Director of the Nordic Artificial Intelligence Institute, "Instead, we will see more and more AI features being included in our products and services." Most researchers are in agreement – artificial intelligence will not become ubiquitous in a day. "The truth is, that despite tremendous advances in AI technologies, we are still far from having robot maids," according to Joyce Chai, Director of the Language and Interaction Research Group at Michigan State University.

A robot servant that can be controlled using the power of thought has been developed by MIT engineers. The machine, named Baxter, reads human brainwaves in real-time so that it knows when a human is unhappy with its actions. If a human think a mistake has been made, Baxter takes notice - and corrects himself. Baxter's owner can then make subtle hand gestures to direct the machine into performing a different task. Scientists say the technology is designed to make robots acts like an extension of a person's will, without any training.

Robots can walk, talk, run a hotel … and are entirely stumped by a doorknob. Sure, the SpotMini, a doglike domestic helper from Boston Dynamics, can climb stairs, but it struggles to reliably hand over a can of soda. That's why some roboticists think the field needs to flip its perspective. "There are two approaches to building robots," says Maya Cakmak, a researcher at the University of Washington. "Make the robot more humanlike to handle the environment, or design the environment to make it a better fit for the robot."

Jibo, the "world's first family robot," hit the media hype machine like a bomb. From a Katie Couric profile to coverage in just about every outlet, folks couldn't get enough of this little robot with a big personality poised to bring us a step closer to the world depicted in "The Jetsons" where average families have maids like Rosie. In the blink of an eye, pre-orders climbed passed $1.8 million and blew away the initial fundraising goal of $100k. Evan Selinger is a Fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology who focuses on the collisions between technology, ethics, and law. At Rochester Institute of Technology, Selinger is Associate Professor of Philosophy and is affiliated with the Center for Media, Arts, Games, Interaction & Creativity (MAGIC). Jibo is almost too adorable to resist.