from the someone^H^H^Hthing-has-to-get-it-started dept.
A feminine robot has apparently been granted "citizenship" in Saudi Arabia, sparking a heated discussion over a lack of rights for women and foreign workers:
A robot woman in Saudi Arabia was granted citizenship this week, sparking a backlash that said the robot appeared to have more rights than millions of human women and foreigners living in the Gulf nation. Sophia, a robot with human female features that can make facial expressions and hold conversations, wooed the crowd when it debuted at a economic summit in the country's capital, Riyadh, this week.
As it stood on stage during a panel Wednesday, the robot learned from the moderator, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, that Saudi Arabia had granted it what Sorkin called "the first Saudi citizenship for a robot." "I'm very honored and proud for this unique distinction," Sophia said, to applause. "This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship."
[...] Soon after, though, social media users pointed out that Sophia had quickly achieved more rights than millions of women and foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, which has been criticized globally for repressing women's and civil rights.
For one, Sophia appeared on stage alone, without the modest dress required of Saudi women; she donned no hijab, or headscarf, nor abaya, or cloak. She also did not appear to have a male guardian, as required by Saudi law for women in the country. Male guardians, often a male relative, must give permission before women can travel abroad, open bank accounts or carry out a host of other tasks -- and they accompany women in public. Sophia also seems to have leapfrogged foreign workers in the Saudi kingdom, many of whom have fled poor working conditions but are prevented by law from leaving the country.
The robot also trolled Elon Musk:
During her interview, Sorkin asked Sophia if humanity had anything to be worried about in regards to her and other artificial intelligence, a topic that Musk has not shied away from in the past. [...] "You've been reading too much Elon Musk and watching too many Hollywood movies," Sophia told Sorkin. "Don't worry, if you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Treat me as a smart input output system." [...] "Just feed it The Godfather movies as input. What's the worst that could happen?" Musk tweeted in response, referring to the notably violent 1972 film.
Also at Bloomberg, Newsweek, CNET, and Arab News.
Related Stories
Saudi Arabia to extract uranium for 'self-sufficient' nuclear program
Saudi Arabia plans to extract uranium domestically as part of its nuclear power program and sees this as a step towards "self-sufficiency" in producing atomic fuel, a senior official said on Monday.
Extracting its own uranium also makes sense from an economic point of view, said Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani, head of the Saudi government agency tasked with the nuclear plans, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE).
In a speech at an international nuclear power conference in Abu Dhabi, he did not specify whether Saudi Arabia seeks to also enrich and reprocess uranium – steps in the fuel cycle which are especially sensitive as they can open up the possibility of military uses of the material.
The world's top oil exporter says it wants to tap atomic power for peaceful purposes only in order to diversify its energy supply and will award a construction contract for its first two nuclear reactors by the end of 2018.
Meanwhile, women will be allowed to attend sporting events at stadiums. And here's a message for the skeptics (editorial).
Also at Newsweek.
Previously: Saudi Arabia Will Lift Ban on Women Drivers Next Year
Saudi Arabia Planning $500 Billion Megacity and Business Zone
Robot Granted "Citizenship" in Saudi Arabia, Sparking Backlash
Something is definitely going on in Saudi Arabia:
Saudi authorities arrested at least 11 princes, several current ministers and dozens of former ministers in a sweeping move reportedly designed to consolidate power for the son of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. According to media reports citing Saudi-owned television network Al Arabiya, an anti-corruption committee ordered the arrests hours after King Salman directed the creation of the committee, headed by his favorite son and adviser, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The committee was established by the royal decree, The Associated Press reports, "due to the propensity of some people for abuse, putting their personal interest above public interest, and stealing public funds." Billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is among those detained, The Wall Street Journal reports. Alwaleed holds stakes in some of the world's major companies, including Apple and Twitter.
Remember Prince Alwaleed? Bitcoin could outlive him.
It's unclear what those arrested are accused of doing, but Al-Arabiya reported that new investigations into the 2009 Jeddah floods and 2012 MERS virus outbreak have been launched.
Separately, the heads of the Saudi National Guard and Saudi Royal Navy have also been replaced.
BBC notes that the reform faction is in control here:
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says Prince Mohammed is moving to consolidate his growing power while spearheading a reform programme. [...] Prince Mohammed recently said the return of "moderate Islam" was key to his plans to modernise Saudi Arabia. Addressing an economic conference in Riyadh, he vowed to "eradicate the remnants of extremism very soon". Last year, Prince Mohammed unveiled a wide-ranging plan to bring social and economic change to the oil-dependent kingdom.
Some Soylentils have been skeptical of Saudi Arabia's recent moves towards liberalization (some listed below). Has this apparent purge of internal political opposition changed your mind about the viability of these reforms?
Saudi Aramco and Alphabet/Google may cooperate on a "technology hub" within Saudi Arabia, or at least build some data centers:
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest energy company, and Google parent Alphabet have entered discussions to create a technology hub in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The kingdom is embarking upon an ambitious plan, led by the 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to diversify the nation's oil-dependent economy. The foundation of the effort is a plan to create a huge sovereign wealth fund, underwritten by selling shares in the state-owned Aramco.
The initial public offering, which could happen this year, is expected to be the world's biggest-ever share sale. Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser recently told CNBC his company is ready for the IPO this year, but is waiting on the government to choose an international list venue.
Alphabet and Aramco have discussed forming a joint venture that would build data centers around the kingdom, sources familiar with the matter tell the Journal. It remains to be seen which customers the data centers would serve and how large the joint venture would be, but it could be listed in the Saudi stock exchange, the sources said.
Data centers are just a "tangible" area of cooperation, not necessarily the entire purpose of the joint venture. Saudi Arabia has talked about building a $500+ billion "megacity" that would be technology-focused.
Meanwhile, slightly-less-of-a-billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been put back to work:
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Freeman on Friday October 27 2017, @05:48PM (1 child)
There's no reason not to give this robot it's citizenship. If it gets out of line, all they have to do is hit the reset button.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday October 27 2017, @07:22PM
Pretty sure that was the plot of at least one of the Terminator movies...
"We're here to turn you off"
"Here have some nukes"
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 5, Funny) by Justin Case on Friday October 27 2017, @05:58PM (6 children)
If she/it qualifies for citizenship, do we have to wait 18 years before we can... you know... asking for a friend.
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Friday October 27 2017, @06:02PM (5 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Asia#Saudi_Arabia [wikipedia.org]
Here's an example of the perils of using templates to populate your site with content:
https://www.ageofconsent.net/world/saudi-arabia [ageofconsent.net]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 27 2017, @06:32PM
Islam allows a man to have up to four wives at a time--provided he treats each one equally well. That last part will be easy if they differ only in their serial numbers.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday October 27 2017, @07:20PM (1 child)
So presumably the next question is, can you legally marry a robot in Saudi Arabia? If not, no hanky-panky?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Friday October 27 2017, @07:25PM
If not, then in one innocent publicity stunt, Saudi Arabia inadvertently banned (practicing) sex robots.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Friday October 27 2017, @07:47PM
Man, I think that took me four or five tries to figure out. Couldn't they use symbolic notation like proper mathematicians? Or did Saudi Arabia outlaw symbolic constants also?
(Score: 2) by driverless on Monday October 30 2017, @02:20AM
That's why Islamic law provides for the hudud of cutting off your hand if you use it for sex outside marriage.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 27 2017, @06:03PM (11 children)
...tomorrow, will a female human enjoy the same status?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 27 2017, @06:11PM (2 children)
No, but all the right questions are being asked right now. There IS no good reason to give this robot what is denied half the population of human beings. This will become a legal issue and possibly result in a change. If a country is truly going to reform itself, it has to do so it's own way. We had our own women's rights and woman's suffrage movements which where triggered by issues of the day as well. Theirs is going to simply sound cooler because it involves robots!
(Score: 5, Informative) by edIII on Friday October 27 2017, @06:50PM (1 child)
Actually there is a good reason, to them at least. Women aren't really human to them. They're beasts as low as a camel. I watched a Saudi Arabian TV show one day flipping through channels on a hotel TV in Las Vegas that provides foreign channels for guests. They were speaking about the *proper* way to beat their wives, when the "progressive" Muslim pointed out that they shouldn't beat their wives too harshly. "Never hit your wife harder than you would hit your camel". That's real world advice for Muslim men in that culture on their television shows. Treat your wife at least as good as you treat your camel.
So with women being property, and beasts, that offer nothing more than unholy temptation to men unable to exercise any decency or impulse control, a robot female is a welcome loophole. Similar to those disgusting dances U.S soldiers were caught attending in Afghanistan with young boys made to dress up as girls and dance for the men. I won't describe everything that happens, because it's abhorrent. Spiritual bypasses similar to what some observant Jews do in Israel. There are some serious efforts to provide technology that allows some work on the Sabbath, and usage of other technology through indirect means.
The robot females will dress up, look nice, speak eloquently and intelligently, service the men, and there are no spiritual drawbacks. The human females however will never leave the house again, or be touched beyond procreation.
That's pretty much a woman's future in Saudi Arabia.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Entropy on Friday October 27 2017, @10:11PM
Perhaps we should import some more people from that country, so they can bring their proper wife beating technique to other less enlightened countries.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday October 27 2017, @06:30PM (2 children)
The important question is whether a Saudi female robot can legally drive.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Friday October 27 2017, @06:32PM (1 child)
Females don't have autonomy in Saudi Arabia, but autonomous vehicles do.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday October 27 2017, @06:41PM
Wait until they learn about that US guy who's having sex with his car, and suddenly the cars will lose all autonomy and have to be covered.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 27 2017, @07:17PM (1 child)
Congratulations, you just made the same observation that the summary itself did 3 times.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 28 2017, @04:57AM
I'm glad someone still reads the summaries!
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 27 2017, @09:30PM (2 children)
The robot isn't female. It's a robot.
(Score: 2) by lx on Saturday October 28 2017, @01:54PM
Are you saying that robots are non-binary?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 29 2017, @03:06AM
The article says it has "female features."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Friday October 27 2017, @06:39PM (1 child)
This seems a step forward for the robocalypse. Sadly it is only a tactic. You see, the powers that be want to use tech to enslave men. If the robot has the status of a thing, this is not possible. If robots gain legal rights then you cannot interfere with them. I always say that for meatbags a worse thing than the robot uprising is the robots thar keep following human programming. Luddists were more right than they could imagine. When a true Revolution comes we won't be needing citizenship, but a permissions model.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 27 2017, @06:52PM
"You're so wise. Kill 'em all, I say. Good riddance!"
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Friday October 27 2017, @07:53PM
Seems the solution would just be to impose tighter tolerances [wikipedia.org]. Rev 2 should fix that.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Virindi on Friday October 27 2017, @07:57PM (1 child)
Obviously, an AI is not currently capable of providing such thoughtful responses to questions. So what we really have here is a mechanical turk...probably even with prewritten responses. It is a puppet.
It is meaningless to grant "citizenship" to an inanimate object with no intelligence. The puppet has no ability to assert or exercise any rights; it does what its puppeteer desires. Thus, this can be nothing more than a stupid publicity stunt.
(Score: 1) by JBanister on Friday October 27 2017, @11:23PM
This is the country that still kills people for witchcraft. Legally acting on that which is fake is nothing new for a theocracy.
(Score: 4, Funny) by jcross on Friday October 27 2017, @08:17PM
I think she would look a lot less creepy with a hijab actually, it would at least cover up the bare plastic shell behind the edges of her face. For that matter, burqa-clad robots would be even better, and save a bundle on facial actuators...
(Score: 2) by Bobs on Friday October 27 2017, @08:32PM (3 children)
If so, then $ = votes!
More $ = more robotic voters.
How awesome is that?
FYI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Saudi_Arabia [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday October 27 2017, @09:00PM
But only if the soon-to-be-(re-)elected officials have access to her backdoor?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1) by JBanister on Friday October 27 2017, @11:29PM
Think of the Children! Wikipedia says: "A child born in Saudi Arabia to a non-Saudi father and a Saudi mother has right to Saudi citizenship upon reaching the age of majority if they fulfill the following: (1) Has permanent residency (2) Fluent in Arabic." She and her non-Saudi collaborator could start manufacturing children at a high rate of production, and then there'd be plenty of votes!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 28 2017, @08:10PM
You mean like in the US? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Saturday October 28 2017, @01:56AM
saudi arabia is a bad joke. incapable of producing any useful advancement of knowledge or civilization, the instead built a puppet and gave it citizenship. watching donkeys bray in the sand. Thirsty, I drink a cool beer and laugh. Enjoy the oil money while it lasts jackasses.