Does Saudi robot citizen have more rights than women?
By Rozina Sini
BBC UGC and Social News
26 October 2017
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SophiaImage copyrightARAB NEWS/YOU TUBE
Meet Sophia, a robot who made her first public appearance in the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh on Monday.
Sophia was such a hit she was immediately given Saudi citizenship in front of hundreds of delegates at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on 25 October.
But as pictures and videos of Sophia began circulating on social media many started to ask why a robot already seemed to have secured more rights than women in the country.
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Sophia, created by Hong Kong company Hanson Robotics, addressed the audience in English without the customary headscarf and abaya, a traditional cloak which Saudi women are obliged to wear in public.
"I am very honoured and proud for this unique distinction," she said. "This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship."
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Saudi users hailed the development using the Arabic hashtag #Robot_with_Saudi_nationality nearly 30,000 times in the first 24 hours since the announcement.
But others took a more sarcastic tone. The Arabic hashtag #Sophia_calls_for_dropping_guardianship was also circulating, and has been used nearly 10,000 times to date.View image on Twitter