Suzanne Gildert is founder and CEO of Sanctuary AI, a company with a mission to create ultra human-like robots – “synths” – that are indistinguishable from us physically, cognitively and emotionally. Sanctuary is structured to explore both cutting edge technology and the ethical issues that arise from creating human-like machines. The company strives to create a micro-society in which synths can develop and be granted a safe haven as they transition into full acceptance by our wider society.
Suzanne earned a PhD in Physics and Electronics at the University of Birmingham, UK, with postdoctoral research on superconducting devices at ultra-low temperatures. She has extensive with design, fabrication and debugging of complex hardware systems at all scales, from microscopic devices up to large, heavy-duty industrial machinery, and has hand built more than 30 robots.