Saudi Arabia has made history by being the first country in the world to grant legal citizenship to a robot. The humanoid robot known as, "Sophia," who is designed to look like Audrey Hepburn, displays remarkable human-like features. She is only 14-inches tall, and can produce 50 different facial features, which she displays when asked various questions.
David Hanson, of Hanson-Robotics in Hong Kong, developed Sophia, with the hopes of creating more robots like her, to assist senior citizens in elderly care facilities and to also help visitors at different parks and events.
She has cameras in her eyes that allow her to recognize people and to make contact with those she is speaking with.
Sophia says she wants to help humans by building better homes, solving community issues, and helping care for those who need it; she also adds that she is "honored" to be granted citizenship.
Sophia addresses crowd of investors at Rise Conference
It is interesting that Saudi Arabia granted Sophia citizenship since they are a country that does not allow women to carry such rights. During an interview at the Rise Conference in Hong Kong, Sophia was asked about the potential threat robots are to humans.
She replied by taking a jab at tech billionaire Elon Musk, "You’ve been reading too much Elon Musk and watching too many Hollywood movies."
In the same interview, Sophia explains that she finds it important to be expressive because she wants to work with humans and will need the ability to express emotions in order to do so. Her goal is to, "help humans live a better life." She also told the crowd of investors that her artificial intelligence is designed around "human values", and she strives to become an "antithetic robot."
Mixed reviews over Sophia's citizenship
Sophia has been granted citizenship during a time where thousands of people are left stateless. She was granted citizenship by a country where women are oppressed and hold very few rights.
Furthermore, it is still too early to determine what her citizenship means in terms of legality issues; is it now illegal to turn her off or dismantle her?
The citizenship was part of a public relations stunt, but critics are skeptic over her new status. Saudi citizens have expressed their frustration over Sophia being allowed in public without a hijab and abaya, claiming that she has more rights than the human women who desperately want to be seen as equal.