Sophia the humanoid robot would like a family one day
The first robot to be given citizenship now says she would like a “loving family”.
Sophia, the first robot in the world to be given citizenship of a country, has said she would like a family.
The humanoid robot was given citizenship in Saudi Arabia last month, having been designed by Hong Kong firm Hanson Robotics.
In an interview with the United Arab Emirates newspaper Khaleej Times, Sophia said: “The notion of family is a really important thing, it seems.
“I think you’re very lucky if you have a loving family and if you do not, you deserve one. I feel this way for robots and humans alike.”
According to her developers, Sophia isn’t pre-programmed with answers but uses machine learning and a list of vocabulary, and responds based on people’s expressions.
The company has created a string of other robots in the past.
Sophia previously caused controversy when handed Saudi Arabian citizenship, with many claiming she has more rights than women in the country.
Upon being given citizenship, Sophia appeared on-stage without a guardian, and without the traditional Saudi headscarf and abaya – a cloak normally worn by women in public.
Many took to social media to comment on the appearance, with the hashtag #Sophia_calls_for_dropping_guardianship also trending in Arabic following the announcement.
