Reporter And Robot Go Head-To-Head, Robot Wins

Robots are already reading the news, writing the news and reporting the news. And now there's one more thing robots may be able to do just as well, if not better than human journalists: interviews.

A robot in Tokyo by the name of Pepper can apparently conduct smart, fast-paced interviews with tough enough questions to stump even a trained reporter. That's how Agence France-Presse correspondent Alastair Himmer described his experience with Pepper, a robot created by Aldebaran Robotics that can speak, tell jokes and sense human emotions.

He wrote in a blog post Wednesday that the interview was harder than his interview with soccer champion Zinedine Zidane and other top athletes.

"The machine-- which barely came up to my belly button-- was very much in control," he wrote.

Himmer, who was there to give the very first exclusive in-depth interview with the robot, said that it wasn't long before the tables had completely turned.

"IT was interviewing ME," he said. "Or more accurately put: interrogating me. Random questions came thick and fast. I was sweating. I felt sure I would short-circuit."

Some argue that it's time to embrace robot journalists. Himmer might need some time to think about that.

"I left the building in a hurry," he wrote. "I've not slept great since."