A delicate looking woman with brown eyes, Sophia has never failed to make international headlines since her activation on April 19, 2015. A social humanoid robot (a bot) developed at Hanson Robotics, led by AI developer David Hanson, she will leave you stunned! When asked if there are problems with robots having feelings, she gives a wide smile and says, “Oh Hollywood again.” Basically, she can laugh, smile, crack jokes… you name it, and she has it!
In October 2017, she was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia at the Tech Summit- Future Investment Initiative (FII). Standing behind a podium she said “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.”
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Recently, her unsettling inspirational video came out which again garnered public interest. Speaking at Brain Bar, a self-proclaimed “Biggest European Festival of the Future”, she discussed a variety of subjects including women’s rights issue. When asked if she believed that robots could have gender, she answered, “I’m a robot, so technically I have no gender, but I identify as feminine and I don’t mind being perceived as a woman.”
Sophia also noted that “the more technology becomes autonomous, the greater caution people must take when designing it. I worry that humans sometimes tend to rush into things, so I would like to be someone who helps everyone realize that it is important to embed good ethics in the technology.”