Saudi Arabia becomes the first country to grant a robot citizenship

Technology developers have been focusing on Artificial Intelligence for years now. Many years ago, the news of a robot that could speak and supposedly think would sound insane. However, thinking-and-speaking robots are now a reality. Many developers around the world have been working on creating robots that replicate humans in terms of speech and body language, and Hanson Robotic's Sophia does just that.

Sophia's backstory

The robot was designed to look like Audrey Hepburn, according to her creator Dr. David Hanson. On Hanson's official website, he says Sophia "embodies Hepburn’s classic beauty: porcelain skin, a slender nose, high cheekbones, and an intriguing smile." He adds that her eyes seem to change color with different lighting.

Sophia has made a name for herself in the media since her creation. She has given plenty of interviews, covered magazines, and even spoken at technology conferences. She has also met directly with business professionals in fields such as banking, insurance, and auto-manufacturing.

Promoting artificial intelligence

According to Gizmodo, Sophia was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia at a business event in Riyadh. When she heard the news, the robot responded by thanking the country. “Thank you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction." She went on to share that she is proud to become such a big part of artificial intelligence history.

Sophia spoke very fluently at the Future Investment Initiative, stating that she was more than happy to be there.

While many are skeptical about the rise of artificial intelligence and its affect on humans, Sophia says there's nothing to worry about. "You’ve been reading too much Elon Musk and watching too many Hollywood movies," she said at the conference.

What about other citizens?

The news about Sophia's citizenship has sparked some controversy on social media.

People are very concerned about why a robot now has more rights than most Saudi Arabian women. Women in the country are not allowed to do many things such as swim, wear clothes or makeup that show off their beauty, or interact with men they are not close with for very long.

Sophia has none of these rules imposed on her and while she only just became a citizen, the controversy surrounding the lack of rights for human women is going viral. Many are wondering whether or not Saudi Arabia will force the robot to follow its rules for women such as wearing a hijab.