Bankers beware: not content with taking jobs in branches and IT centres, AI-powered robots are now coming after your conference speaking gigs.
Sophia, a life-like humanoid created by Hanson Robotics, will take the stage at a UBS conference on disruptive technology in Hong Kong later this month.
The AI-powered robot, physically modelled on Audrey Hepburn, will open the event, talking about what artificial intelligence means for the future of mankind.
A recent report from consultancy McKinsey predicted that robots, AI and other forms of automation could take over almost a third of investment banking jobs within just a few years.
This warning was echoed earlier this month by Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan, who told an audience of bankers in Frankfurt that he expects a "big number" of his current staff to be replaced by robots.
Sophia is already an old hand at the public speaking game: not only has she given conference presentations before, she has also sung in a concert and been a guest on TV shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.