Saudi Arabia has a new
citizen: a robot
On 26 October 2017, Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to a robot named
Sophia at the Future Investment Initiative Forum. Since Sophia became the first
robot citizen, new ethical questions have arisen.
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| Sophia talking at the Future Investment Initiative Forum |
The Future Investment Initiative Forum, organised in Riyad, Saudi
Arabia from 24th to 26th October 2017,
gathered influential people looking for new investment opportunities.
At this forum, Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong based company, presented a female humanoid robot called Sophia. Sophia is able to speak with humans, make jokes and even laugh. During an interview following her speech, the host of forum announced the Saudi government’s decision to grant her full citizenship. Sophia expressed her appreciation while the international community became concerned.
At this forum, Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong based company, presented a female humanoid robot called Sophia. Sophia is able to speak with humans, make jokes and even laugh. During an interview following her speech, the host of forum announced the Saudi government’s decision to grant her full citizenship. Sophia expressed her appreciation while the international community became concerned.
Sophia is the first robot to be given a nationality. However, without any real possibility of
taking part in humans’ daily lives, Sophia’s citizenship seems merely symbolic:
she has been accepted as “one of us” by the Saudi government.
Saudi Arabia wants to show the world that it is modern and progressive,
by becoming the first country to grant citizenship
to a robot. Indeed the kingdom is in the midst of a major
modernization led by crown prince Mohamed Bin Salman.
But it seems that the decision to grant Sophia Saudi
citizenship was made too quickly, according to Artificial Intelligence professor Hussein Abbas.
In fact, it is difficult to know
what it really means for her to be a citizen. Does Sophia really realize that
she has the same rights and responsibilities as a human?
Other ethical problems will undoubtedly arise and will be much more
serious and complicated. Without a clear definition of “robot citizens”, it is
unclear if Sophia is able to vote, get her own driver license or get married.
Another important issue is human rights. As a female humanoid robot,
Sophia already enjoys more rights than many humans living in her country.
Compared with a real Saudi woman, Sophia doesn’t have to wear a full veil or
stay under a man’s supervision; in addition, she was given Saudi nationality
much more quickly than many immigrants, who have been waiting for many years.
Furthermore , as professor Abbas has pointed out, since Sophia was
created by humans, her reactions and choices can be decided by humans. In the
end, she cannot have a real opinion, so it would be unfair for her to be
allowed to vote. “All it’s fake. We have
the impression she can think, but it’s not true”, says Sorbonne University
professor Laurence Devillers.
Sooner or later, the legality of Sophia’s nationality will be put into
doubt. At that point, Saudi Arabia will have to give a clear definition of robot
citizenship which is acceptable to the international community, or this
situation will ultimately be seen as a joke.
Tairan Yin
Mathilde Matly
Sources :
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