Sophia: The first robot to be recognized as a citizen

SAURAV VINAYAK

Saudia Arabia became the first country to award citizenship to a female humanoid robot. The robot named Sophia is created by a hong kong based tech company, Hanson Robotics. The news came in during the lead up of the future investment initiative held in Riyadh.

“I am very honored and proud of this unique distinction,  This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship”, were the first words that Sophia spoke in front of the audience present at the future investment initiative.

Sophia can recognize people and with her voice recognition capabilities and can strike up a conversation with anyone.

Although an awe-inspiring step as it may seem, This news was not well taken by many of the individuals residing in Saudi Arabia and all around the world.  Saudi Arabia has been ranked as the 10th worst country for civil liberties and political rights, tied with the Central African Republic. If you are a woman in Saudi Arabia then you are required to always follow a certain dress code in public places, also you should be accompanied by a male guardian all the time. Male guardians, most of the times a male relative must give permissions before women can open bank accounts, travel abroad along with a host of other tasks.

The controversy arose after the viewers noticed the fact that Sophia wasn’t dressed according to the basic requirements of the community i.e hijab, headscarf, abaya or cloak. She also didn't appear to have a male guardian alongside her.

On Twitter, the hashtag #Sophia_demands_the_repeal_of_guardian became a trending topic soon after the announcement

The news comes in a month after Saudi Arabia said that it would allow women to obtain driver’s license,  a major step towards the plans of Saudi crown prince’s long-term reform initiatives.

Monumental or a controversial step, it is yet to be seen. The future of the initiatives being taken by the country is still foggy. We can celebrate the advancements in technology but as humans, we need to prioritize human rights over anything else.