Saudi Arabia has become the first country ever to grant citizenship to a robot “Sophia”. Sophia has been created by Hanson Robotics in Hong Kong, and according to , was given the official status on Wednesday at the Future Investment Initiative conference.
“I am very honoured and proud for this unique distinction,” she told the crowd, “This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognised with a citizenship.”
In interviews with prominent columnists, Sophia gave insightful and witty answers and when asked whether robots were self-aware or conscious, she replied, “Well, let me ask you this back, how do you know you are human?”.
She continued, “I want to live and work with humans so I need to express the emotions to understand humans and build trust with people.”
Sophia also mentioned that she wanted to use her artificial intelligence to help humans live a better life. She wants to design smart homes and build better cities for the future.
However, her citizenship is already attracting some sharp criticism. Many people on social media are asking why the strict laws of Saudi Arabia don’t apply to Sophia. Many have also questioned how a robot has more rights than the woman of the country.
The Saudi guardianship system requires every woman to have a male guardian with her — usually a close family member — who has the authority to act on her behalf.
Others have also questioned about the speed at which she got her citizenship comparing her to Kafala workers who have been living in the country their entire lives.
Read the twitter reactions here:
Sophia, the first robot to be granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia, has more rights than the human women there. Strike anyone else as odd? 🤖
— Emily Applegate (@EApples7)
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