As engineers continue to experiment with artificial intelligence, its no secret that certain prominent figuresBill Gates, Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking, to name a feware less than enthusiastic about the technology. Mr. Gates has said hes concerned about super intelligence; Mr. Musk has compared AI to an inexorable demon; Mr. Hawking, perhaps the most wary, has said the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.

The team behindCubic, a new robotic personal assistant, has just launched a clever series of promotional videos askingMr. Gates,Mr. Musk, and Mr. Hawking to reconsider their opinions of artificial intelligence. In each of the videos, Cubic CMO Ivan Kryukov has a briefconversation with a Cubic devicea small cube that, besides managing users disparate technologies, also boasts emotions and a personality. Heres the one directed at Mr. Musk:

Hey Cubic, werent you modeled after the robot J.A.R.V.I.S. from the Ironman movie? Mr. Kryukov asks his Cubic. Later, the robot points out that Elon Musk was the real-life inspiration for Ironmans Tony Stark character.Its ironic, the Cubic says, because Elon Musk has said that artificial intelligence is actually quite dangerous.

Are you saying that in real life, Tony Stark doesnt like J.A.R.V.I.S.? Mr. Kryukov asks. Yes. That is what Im saying, the robot replies.

I want you to meet Elon Musk, Mr. Kryukov concludes. Im sure if he meets you, he will love you and change his mind about artificial intelligence.

While theres no saying how Mr. Gates, Mr. Musk and Mr. Hawking will react to Cubic, we, certainly, are interested.Launched on Indiegogo, the product raised $115,699110 percent of its original fundraising goal. The Cubic team reportedly developed itfor three years, and now have a working prototype.

So what does Cubicdo? Its a little bit likea home automation device, except instead ofjust controlling your home appliances, Cubic integrates and controls allof your technologyeverything from social media, music and emailto home devices and fitness wearables. Its like having an intelligent personal assistantto do all of your technology-related tasks for you: it can detect when you say something funny, and ask if youd like to tweet it; it can learn your taste in movies, and offer to book tickets to upcoming flicks it thinks youd like; it can check how many calories youve burned today, and suggest whether or not you should have a slice of pie.

But theres something specialand perhaps creepy, depending on how you feel about artificial intelligencethatsets Cubic apart fromsimilar products. Besides executing voice commands, Cubic tries to entertain and emotionally support the user, Mr. Kryukov told the Observer.

Thats rightCubic has a personality, and, as the above video indicates, it can carry on long conversations with users. It can even tell jokes. To be fair, Amazons new Echo device tells jokes, too, but unlike Cubic, is has to stay in your home. Cubic, on the other hand, is portable; it comes with a wearable power badge that can clip onto your clothes. Its like carrying a helpful friend with you wherever you go.

Mr. Kryukov believes that by 2020, sentient robot assistants will be as popular as smartphones are today.

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Robot Commands Elon Musk, Bill Gates to Accept Artificial Intelligence