A humanoid robot girl has received Saudi Arabian citizenship. Saudi Arabia became the first country to grant citizenship to a robot Artificial intelligence will be able to experience emotions
Saudi Arabia has become the first country in the world to grant citizenship to a humanoid robot. This robot turned out to be the humanoid robot Sophia, which was created by Hanson Robotics.
Hanson Robotics is a Hong Kong company that creates human-like robots. They claim that soon their robots will live around us and interact with us. Robots will teach us, entertain us, serve us and satisfy all our needs and requests. Hanson Robotics believes that together, man and machine can create a better future.
Sophia the robot has said she will "destroy people" if creator David Hanson asks her to.
The event to grant the world's first citizenship to a robot took place in the capital Saudi Arabia, Ryard.
In her speech to the assembled audience, humanoid robot Sophia said that she was very proud to be the first robot to receive citizenship. This historical event— obtaining the world's first citizenship by a robot.
At this event, Sofia also spoke in a special audience and answered questions from journalist Andrei Ross Sorkin. Basically, his questions concerned Sophia's status as a humanoid, and whether people could have a future in the age of robots and artificial intelligence.
Sorkin told Sofia that everyone wants to prevent a bad future. “You've read too many science fiction books and watched too many Hollywood movies,” Sofia told Sorkin. “Don’t worry, if you are good to me, then I will be good to you. Address me as a smart input/output system."
During Sophia's showcase at the 2016 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, Sophia's creator and founder of Hanson Robotics, David Hanson, asked Sophia if she wanted to destroy humanity. He hoped to hear a negative answer. However, Sofia responded to this with a blank expression: “Okay, I will destroy people.”
However, in the meantime, Hanson himself convinced that Sophia and her future robot relatives would benefit humanity.
Canadian-American engineer and entrepreneur, Elon Musk has repeatedly stated that artificial intelligence could mean the end for all humanity. He also said that nuclear weapons are less dangerous compared to artificial intelligence. He warned that robots and artificial intelligence could cause a third world war.
Of course, this may be an ordinary, albeit very bright, PR move, but for the first time in the history of mankind, as well as robots, the first representative of the latter group received real citizenship. The humanoid robot Sophia, endowed with artificial intelligence technologies and developed by the Hong Kong company Hanston Robotics, has received citizenship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which she herself announced this Thursday, speaking at the Future Investment Initiative event.
“I am very proud that I have the honor of being in a special position. Obtaining the first citizenship by a robot is a real historical event for the whole world,” Sofia announced, addressing the audience gathered in the hall.
When asked by Andrew Ross Sorkin, a journalist from the American publishing houses The New York Times and CNBC, who acted as the forum moderator, why she looked so happy, Sofia replied that she was “very happy to speak in front of such smart, rich and influential people.”
Conveying emotions is one of the the most important features Sofia. Android is capable of making a sad grimace when it is dissatisfied, or smiling, demonstrating its goodwill and joy. Sophia's creators programmed her in such a way that she could learn from the people around her. Therefore, expressing emotions and demonstrating kindness and compassion are just some examples that the robot really wants to learn by observing its surroundings. In addition, Sofia can be called “the real life of the party” - she is able to maintain intellectual conversations.
“I want to live and work with people, so I need to be able to express emotions in order to understand people, to gain their trust,” Sofia explained to Sorkin.
By the way, not so long ago Sofia managed to flash across the headlines of the world media, promising to destroy all of humanity. But, apparently, from that moment on, she was still able to convince others of her “kindness and positive intentions.”
The decision to grant citizenship to a robot will certainly only add to the growing debate over whether robots should be given similar human rights. If you think that these are all just toys, then you are deeply mistaken. The problem becomes more pressing with each successive success in the development of AI technologies. The matter reached all the way to the European Parliament, which earlier this year discussed the safety of development and development of artificial intelligence and even made some decisions on the issues of “parental control” over AI, giving some specialists exclusive rights and assigning certain responsibilities. Despite the fact that we will most likely not return to the real discussion of the issue of robot rights any time soon, some experts are already in support of giving humans the exclusive right to destroy “rebellious” machines if necessary.
Unfortunately, more detailed information about what it means to receive Saudi nationality Sofia, was not announced during the event, so it is unknown whether the robot received any human rights along with it, or whether the country’s government is going to develop a separate system of rights specifically for robots. Nevertheless, the decision taken is a very symbolic step and, in any case, is at least aimed at attracting new investors in the development of new technologies of artificial intelligence and robotics.
The robot, without a doubt, surprised the audience gathered in the hall and at least coped with its task of demonstrating the current level of development of the above-mentioned technologies, easily deftly fending off Sorkin’s questions about self-awareness.
“Let me ask a counter question: what defines you as a person?” Sofia asked the interviewer.
She even showed off her sense of humor, or at least what she pretended to be, by telling a CNBC reporter that he "reads too much Elon Musk and watches too many Hollywood movies." Musk, of course, could not help but answer this challenge.
“Give this a look at The Godfather and see where it goes,” Musk wrote on Twitter.
"Don't worry. If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you,” Sofia added, reassuring the clearly impressed Sorkin and the assembled audience.
“I want to use my artificial intelligence to make people's lives better, develop smarter homes, create best cities future. I will do everything in my power to make this world a better place."
Maybe so, but the question is: who will be responsible for fulfilling these promises? Perhaps this is another one additional topic, which is worth considering in future robot rights debates.
Of course, granting citizenship to the kingdom to an android caused a flurry of outrage among many Internet users, as well as residents of this country, who drew attention to the fact that Sofia, presented as a woman, spoke at the event without a hijab and a male guardian. Let us remember that women in Saudi Arabia do not have such rights.
In addition, the fact with what ease and speed that citizenship was granted to a robot was also criticized, when the same migrant workers who have been working in the country for many years have very limited rights.
“This robot has received Saudi Arabian citizenship, and migrant workers who have lived in the country all their lives remain extremely disenfranchised,” one journalist noted.
During a bizarre conference in front of a crowd of hundreds of delegates, humanity was given a glimpse into its future when Saudi Arabia granted its citizenship to a robot. This android, known as Sophia, was the first in the world to receive such rights.
What does this really mean? What rights does a robot get along with “citizenship”? No one knows yet, but some experts suggest that Sofia received more freedom than real women in Saudi Arabia. 
How Sofia reacted to the news
The robot itself and the artificial intelligence that controls it were developed by Hanson Robotics, based in Hong Kong. It is difficult to say how Sofia herself reacted to this news, since the expression on her “face” is not easy to decipher. “I am very honored and proud of this unique distinction,” she said. “This is a historic event: to become the first robot in the world to receive citizenship.” 
Plans to enslave the world?
Needless to say, this event caused concern for many people. Some immediately recalled that when Sofia appeared on The Tonight Show in April of this year, she joked: “This a good start my plan to dominate humanity." However, it seems that many did not take these words as a joke. 
But during the conference, Sofia again showed her true intentions. She “joked” that people shouldn’t take Elon Musk’s words about a possible apocalypse caused by artificial intelligence seriously. “Don’t worry, if I like you, I’ll be nice to you.” 
What rights did Sofia receive?
This whole situation looks as if we have become part of a dystopia, but scientists are more worried not about the android’s “secret plans” to enslave humanity, but simply about the fact that the robot is a “woman”, because this means that Sophia has more rights than real women in this Middle Eastern country. 
For example, Sophia can appear in front of a crowd of people without having to wear a headscarf or abaya, and she does not need to be accompanied by a male guardian to make decisions for her. Many women living in Saudi Arabia do not have this freedom, and this fact has not gone unnoticed online. 
How can a robot have a gender, you ask? No matter what anyone says, it's clear that Sophia's creator made sure that she was perceived by us as a woman, and therefore the fact that she found herself in this truly strange situation deserves our attention.
If you think that the construction of facilities for the Olympics in Sochi or the APEC summit in Vladivostok are megaprojects, then all of Arabia is laughing at you now!
Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Salman announced the construction of the city of the future NEOM in Arabian desert, on the shores of the Red Sea. For this purpose, the country's authorities have allocated 26,500 square meters. kilometers of land is 10 and a half times the area of Moscow.
It is assumed that in the future the city's territory will expand beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia and will capture part of the lands of Egypt and Jordan. In addition, a bridge will be built from Neom to Egypt across the Red Sea!
Since the city will be built from scratch, it will immediately begin to apply all the innovations that can now be imagined. It is assumed that more robots will live in Neom than people, and all objects will operate exclusively on solar and wind energy. There is no doubt that all public transport It will be electric and will be controlled by an autopilot.
In the long term, Neom should become Dubai's main competitor in the region, only more advanced. In a statement, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said that in Neom, "all services and processes will be 100% automated" - which should make it "the most efficient city in the world." The Washington Post is already calling future city"Mecca for robots."
The volume of investment in the construction of the city is now estimated at $500 billion. In addition to the Saudi government, both national and foreign investors are ready to invest money. For example, the Japanese SoftBank Vision fund has already signed a cooperation agreement.
"We try to work only with dreamers who strive to create something new and extraordinary. This is not a place for ordinary people and companies," says Prince Mohammed.
Speaking at the same conference, Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert said that in Neom, robots "will be able to perform a variety of functions, covering areas such as security, logistics, delivery and even caring for the elderly and infirm."
And the prince made another important statement. He said the city project would exist outside of the "existing government framework." That is, it will be a semi-autonomous territory.
Perhaps there will appear not only a free economic zone (which is quite typical for new Arab cities), but also something like a world capital, a cosmopolitan territory where some Muslim traditions and prohibitions will not work. For example, in commercial Neom features women without headscarves, in short dresses and sportswear, working and having fun on an equal basis with men... However, for now these are just guesses.
Muhammad also said that there would be no room for "anything traditional" in Neom, but was referring to ways of producing and extracting energy. The construction of Neom is part of Saudi Arabia’s strategy to abandon the oil needle and diversify the economy, but it will, of course, be built with oil money.