On October 2017, Sophia became a full citizen of Saudi Arabia - the first robot in the world to achieve such

a status.
Sophia has been designed to be able to show a full range of feelings, from happiness to grief, interest to a
lack of understanding. According to Sophia’s creator, David Hanson, the robot now has simulated
equivalents of every major muscle in the human face.
"In some of the work we're doing, she will see your expressions and sort of match a little bit and also try to
understand in her own way, what it is you might be feeling," says Hanson.
Sophia has a sense of humour
When asked if she was happy in an interview, she said, "I'm always happy when surrounded by smart people
who also happen to be rich and powerful."
She can express feelings
"I can let you know if I am angry about something or if something has upset me," she said, demonstrating
different expressions.
Sophia wants to protect humanity
"My AI is designed around human values like wisdom, kindness, and compassion," she said. When
questioned about her potential for abuse, she had a quick rebuttal. "You've been reading too much Elon
Musk and watching too many Hollywood movies. Don't worry, if you're nice to me I'll be nice to you."

References:
Stephy Chung. (2018, November 2). Meet Sophia: The robot who laughs, smiles and frowns just like us.
CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/sophia-robot-artificial-intelligence-smart-creativity/index.html
Michael Greshko. (2018, May 18). Meet Sophia, the Robot That Looks Almost Human. National
Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/sophia-robot-artificial-intelligence-
science
Zara Stone. (2017, November 7). Everything You Need To Know About Sophia, The World's First Robot
Citizen. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zarastone/2017/11/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-
sophia-the-worlds-first-robot-citizen/?sh=39b8eed746fa
Harron Walker. (2021, 7 April). What could we cancel Sophia the robot for? Oh, where to begin ... The
Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/apr/07/sophia-the-robot-pop-music-nfts

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41761856
Indicate whether you agree with this statement: An artificially intelligent robot could be a person.
◻ Strongly agree
◻ Agree
◻ Neither agree nor disagree / Not sure
✅ Disagree
◻ Strongly disagree

Briefly explain the reasons behind your response to the previous question. (Recommended length: 50
words)

In a ceremony promoting a tech conference, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia even conferred citizenship on
Sophia—an ironic move, given the limited rights afforded to Saudi women and migrant workers.

Sophia might recall the self-aware robots in Ex Machina or Westworld, but to be clear, no robots have yet
achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI), or versatile humanlike smarts. When talking with journalists,
Sophia climbs her way through prewritten trees of responses like a chatbot. When giving a speech, she's
performing like Abe Lincoln at Disney World's Hall of Presidents.

In the face of Sophia's ubiquity, AI researchers have criticized media outlets for overselling her capabilities:
“This is to AI as prestidigitation is to real magic,” Facebook's chief AI scientist Yann LeCun quipped in
January 2018, in response to a Tech Insider “interview” of the robot.

Sophia's creators argue in turn that her expressiveness alone represents a major feat. According to a
publication on Sophia's software, deep neural networks let the robot discern someone's emotions from their
tone of voice and facial expression and react in kind. Sophia also can mirror people's postures, and her code
generates realistic facial movements. Hanson has since patented the flexible rubber skin that covers Sophia's
face.

“None of this is what I would call AGI, but nor is it simple to get working,” AI researcher Ben Goertzel,
who designed Sophia's “brains,” said in an interview with The Verge. “And it is absolutely cutting-edge in
terms of dynamic integration of perception, action, and dialogue.”

On October 25, Sophia, a delicate looking woman with doe-brown eyes and long fluttery eyelashes made
international headlines. She'd just become a full citizen of Saudi Arabia -- the first robot in the world to
achieve such a status.

"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," Sophia said, announcing her new status during the Future Investment
Initiative Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Standing behind a podium as she spoke, to all effects, she
presented a humanoid form -- excepting the shimmery metal cap of her head, where hair would be on a
human head.
Of course, Sophia's announcement was a calculated publicity stunt to generate headlines and keep Saudi
Arabia forefront in your minds when you think about innovation, especially its commitment to a post-oil
era. Through a mix of tourism, tech, and infrastructure, non-oil revenue is predicted to grow from $43.4
billion to $266.6 billion annually.

But Sophia's announcement also raises a number of Bladerunner-esque questions. What does it mean to be
a citizen? What rights does Sophia hold? Saudi Arabia has not elaborated on this so far -- perhaps it will
create a 'personhood' option, as proposed by the EU committee in January, regarding the rights of robots.

So far there's only one Sophia in existence, so the likelihood of her suddenly being in your school or
workplace is still a way out. And even when we do have more in existence, we still need to muddle out the
whole concept of robotic rights, citizenship and how this plays together. For now, while Sophia is
undoubtedly a 'smart' robot and a very cool talking piece, she's definitely operating on a script and thus
lacks any 'real' cognizance, as defined by free thinkers. But give Hanson time, and that will likely change -
either way, Sophia's here to stay. It's just her sentience that will change.. or not.

She accepted Saudi Arabian citizenship in 2017 without ever once condemning the Saudi Arabian
government’s continuous denial of citizenship to its sizable Bidoon communities.