Saudi Arabia grants citizenship to humanoid robot Sophia
By Cicada DeskEvent date: 1 min read
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In brief
During a panel at the first Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin announced that Sophia, a humanoid robot built by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, had been granted Saudi citizenship, making Saudi Arabia the first country to do so for a robot.
During a panel at the first Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin announced that Sophia, a humanoid robot built by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, had been granted Saudi citizenship, making Saudi Arabia the first country to do so for a robot. Sophia replied that it was historic to be the first robot recognized with citizenship.
The announcement drew wide international coverage and came a day after NEOM was unveiled at the same forum.
Sources
This report is compiled from the sources below. Cicada links to every source we rely on.
- 1Saudi Arabia first country to grant a robot citizenship Robotics Law Journal · 31 Oct 2017
- 2Lifelike 'Sophia' Robot Granted Citizenship to Saudi Arabia Live Science
Archive report. Written in 2026 from contemporary sources and dated to the day the event happened.
Cite this story
Cicada Desk. "Saudi Arabia grants citizenship to humanoid robot Sophia". Cicada, 25 October 2017. https://cicadaconsultancy.online/en/news/sophia-robot-citizenship
Free to quote and reuse with attribution under CC BY 4.0.
