Saudi Arabia claims to be the first country to have granted citizenship to a robot. But the decision has garnered mockery from social media users as the robot may have more rights than human women in the kingdom.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/L. Muzi
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Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to a humanoid robot, it announced at an innovation conference in Riyadh this week. It claims to be the first nation to bestow citizenship upon a robot.
Sophia was built by the Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics in 2015. The inventor David Hanson claims that the robot is imbued with artificial intelligence and can recognize faces. The robot's silicon face can reportedly mimic 62 human facial expressions.
Hanson is evidently proud of his robot creation's looks, as he rather lecherously described Sophia on his website: "Porcelain skin, a slender nose, high cheekbones, an intriguing smile and deeply expressive eyes," the website gushes. She was supposedly modeled on the late actress Audrey Hepburn.
"I am the latest and greatest robot from Hanson Robotics," Sophia told panel moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin. "I feel that people like interacting with me sometimes more than a regular human."
During the talk, Sorkin told Sophia that he had received breaking news that she was to be granted citizenship.
"We have a little announcement. We just learned, Sophia — I hope you are listening to me — you have been awarded the first Saudi citizenship for a robot," Sorkin told the robot.
"Thank you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction," Sophia responded. "It is historic to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship."
Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has lifted its driving ban on women and made other strides toward granting women equal rights. But progress is incredibly slow, and lags far behind the rest of the world.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Ammar
1955: First school for girls, 1970: First university for women
Girls have not always been able to go to school like these students in Riyadh. Enrollment at the first school for girls, Dar Al Hanan, began in 1955. The Riyadh College of Education, the first higher education institution for women, opened in 1970.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Nureldine
2001: ID cards for women
At the start of the 21st century, women could get personal ID cards for the first time. The cards are the only way for them to prove who they are, for example in disputes relating to inheritance or property issues. IDs were only issued with the permission of a woman's guardian, though, and to the guardian instead of directly to the woman. Only in 2006 were women able to get IDs without permission.
Image: Getty Images/J. Pix
2005: End of forced marriages - on paper
Saudi Arabia banned forced marriage in 2005, but marriage contracts continue to be hammered out between the husband-to-be and the father of the bride, not the bride herself.
Image: Getty Images/A.Hilabi
2009: The first female government minister
In 2009, King Abdullah appointed the first female minister to Saudi Arabia's government. Noura al-Fayez became the deputy education minister for women's affairs.
Image: Foreign and Commonwealth Office
2012: First female Olympic athletes
Saudi Arabia agreed to allow female athletes to compete on the national team for the Olympics for the first time. One of them was Sarah Attar, who ran the women's 800 meter race at the 2012 Olympics in London wearing a headscarf. Before the Games, there was speculation that the Saudi Arabian team might be banned for gender discrimination if they didn't allow women to participate.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/J.-G.Mabanglo
2013: Women are allowed to ride bicycles and motorbikes
Saudi leaders allowed women to ride bicycles and motorbikes for the first time in 2013 — but only in recreational areas, wearing full Islamic body covering and with a male relative present.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
2013: First women in the Shura
In February 2013, King Abdullah swore in the first 30 women to the Shura, Saudi Arabia's consultative council. This allowed women to be appointed to these positions, soon they would be allowed to actually run for office...
Image: REUTERS/Saudi TV/Handout
2015: Women can vote and get elected
In Saudi Arabia's 2015 municipal elections, women were able to vote and run for office for the first time. By contrast, New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, in 1893. Germany did so in 1919. At the 2015 Saudi polls, 20 women were elected to municipal roles in the absolute monarchy.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Batrawy
2017: First female head of the Saudi stock exchange
In February 2017, the Saudi stock exchange names the first female chairperson in its history, Sarah Al Suhaimi.
Image: pictur- alliance/abaca/Balkis Press
2018: Women to be allowed in sports stadiums
On October 29, 2017, the country's General Sports Authority announced that women would be allowed into sports stadiums for the first time. Three previously male-only arenas will soon be open for women as well, starting in early 2018.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Nureldine
2018: Driving ban eliminated
On September 26, 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that women would soon be allowed to drive, causing a flurry of driving courses for women to prepare for June 2018, when they would no longer need permission from their male guardian to get a driver's license or need their guardian in the car when they drive.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Jamali
2019: Saudi women to be notified by text message if they are divorced
The new law, designed to protect them from having their marriage ended without their knowledge, will allow women to check their marital status online or visit a court to get a copy of divorce papers. Human rights defenders say the law does nothing to address the fact that Saudi women can only obtain divorces in exceedingly limited cases — such as with her husband’s consent or if he has harmed her.
Saudi citizens are entitled to generous sums each year as part of the kingdom's substantial oil revenues. Citizenship is rarely granted to foreigners, and is most notably withheld from poorly treated migrant laborers.
Social media mockery
Social media users in the kingdom were quick to point out that the robot could be entitled to more rights than the country's female subjects, who must have a male guardian, must wear a hijab, cannot mix with unrelated males and are unfairly represented in the justice system. They were only recently granted permission to drive.
Twitter users commented on Sophia's lack of male guardian and her lack of hijab.
"I want to use my artificial intelligence to help humans live a better life, like design smarter homes, build better cities of the future, etc. ... I will do my best to make the world a better a place," Sophia said at the forum. "I strive to become an empathetic robot."
When asked about the potential dangers posed by AI, Sophia responded that moderator Sorkin was "reading too much Elon Musk."
Musk later responded on Twitter, suggesting her nature could turn violent if the script of "The Godfather" were inputted.
The European Parliament released a draft report earlier this year proposing granting autonomous robots "personhood." The idea would grant legal status to robots to establish liability, but would not confer on them rights given to humans.
#IAmMyOwnGuardian: Protesting male guardianship in Saudi Arabia
