In a first, Sophie – an intelligent humanoid – has been granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia.
The robot has been created by David Hanson, the founder of Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics.
Sophie – equipped with artificial intelligence – can affect facial expressions and also detect human faces and their expressions. It is the first time that the robot has been granted the same rights as humans of a country.
Although it is unclear if the robot will have the same rights as male citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or that of female citizens, who labour under numerous restrictions and limitations in terms of the clothes they are allowed to wear, where they are allowed to work, and who they are allowed to leave their homes with.
"I’m very honoured and proud for this unique distinction," Sophia said while speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, where she also made fun of Hollywood Sci Fi movies and Elon Musk.
New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin interviewed Sophia live on stage. He repeatedly questioned her on the possibility of humanoids overtaking the human race, which she responded to with rather philosophical answers.
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