Robots are getting better at walking, talking and looking like humans.

But big questions remain: Will we want to spend time with them on a regular basis? And how useful to humans could they become?

David Hanson, the founder of Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, thinks the true beauty of his creation, Sophia, lies beneath the surface: in her machine-learning capabilities.

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8