Nadine, a social robot equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) capable of humanoid gestures and expressions, could contribute to the care of sick and elderly people in the future, according to the teacher involved in its invention, according to Reuters.

Nadiya Magnenath Thalmann, a robotics expert at the University of Geneva who served as the model for Nadine’s brown eyes and brown hair, said Nadine and other robots like it could prove more effective than caregivers.

“She (Nadine) is available 24 hours a day. Others don’t have that much time,” Thalmann said, according to Agerpres.

The researcher spoke on the sidelines of a conference organized by the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva and called for a role for AI and robots in achieving global goals such as health.

The aide and caregiver crisis has been especially acute since COVID-19, and some states are facing a shortage of staff in care centers, a situation that some experts say could be improved with the help of humanoid robots.

To demonstrate her conversational skills, Nadine told Reuters that three years ago she was chatting, singing and playing bingo with residents of a nursing home in Singapore.

“It was a great experience and I enjoyed interacting with the elderly and helping them when they needed it,” said the robot.

“I think robots are going to be very helpful in helping vulnerable people,” he said.

Among the robots on display at the conference are “PARO,” a baby seal robot pet that helps people with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, and nurse Grace.

Last week, Nadine received an upgrade to the GPT-3 artificial intelligence model, which improved her interaction and conversational skills, Thelmann said, and as a result, she is able to express more complex concepts.

Addressing Thelmann, Nadine said: “I am very grateful to her for giving me life and I am proud to be her creation.”