Saudi Arabia on Monday granted citizenship to a robot, saying it was the first in the world to do so. “It is historic to be the first robot in the world to be recognised with citizenship,” Sophia, the robot, said, according to a tweet by the Center for International Communication, an initiative of Saudi Arabia’s Culture Ministry.
The kingdom announced the newest Saudi at the Future Investment Initiative, a global investment event, in Riyadh. Sophia was granted citizenship as a “reward” for her “desire to achieve more human-like characteristics”, according to Arab News.
As bizarre as the development may be, the Twitter-verse was quick to criticise Saudi Arabia, claiming that the robot already had “more rights that women” in the country.
Here are some of the reactions to the news:
Saudi Arabia is infamous for its oppressive rules against women. It was only in September that the kingdom decided to allow women to drive from 2018.
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