KUALA LUMPUR (July 17): Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was “thrilled” and came away impressed after an eight-minute one-on-one conversation today with Sophia, the social humanoid robot, here.

Speaking to the media after launching the Beyond Paradigm Summit where Sophia made an appearance, the prime minister said he was thrilled by the robot’s ability, especially the lifelike facial expressions which she made with incredible accuracy.

“It’s amazing, as you can see her physique is almost real ... her face and eyes, even her mouth moves.

“When she responded and turned towards me, I was a little frightened. If I were to meet her in the middle of the night, I will surely flee,” he said in his usual witty style.

At the outset of the conversation with Sophia, who was clad in a red modern baju kurung, Dr Mahathir seemed to be at a loss for words as he looked in awe until Sophia broke the ice.