The robot called Sophia, which was unveiled at a technology conference in the capital Riyadh last week, has now sparked a fierce reaction on social media sites with questions about whether or not the female robot will be treated like other women in the Arabic kingdom now that she is a citizen.
Hadeel Shaikh, a Saudi woman whose four-year-old child with a Lebanese man does not have citizenship, said: “It hit a sore spot that a robot has citizenship and my daughter doesn’t.”
The creation of the world’s first cyborg citizen is the latest announcement from the Sunni Muslim kingdom, which granted women the right to drive last month and plans to allow women to watch events in all-male sports stadiums for the first time next year.
Ms Shaikh wants greater reform as she is worried about the future of her daughter who only has a residency card.
She told the Thomson Reuters Foundation: ”I want her to have all the privileges of her mum.
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“I want her to feel welcomed even if I am not here.”
A guardianship system in Saudi Arabia also requires a male family member to grant permission for a woman to study abroad, travel and other activities.
Journalist Murtaza Hussain posted: “This robot has gotten Saudi citizenship before kafala workers who have been living in the country their entire lives.”
Saudi feminist, Moudi Aljohani, who is based in the United States tweeted: ”I’m wondering if robot Sophia can leave Saudi Arabia without her guardian consent.”
Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Jordan are some of the Middle Eastern countries that also do not allow women married to foreigners to pass on citizenship to their children.
Suad Abu-Dayyeh, a Middle East expert with Equality Now, a global advocacy organisation, calling for restrictions on women’s rights to be lifted across the region said: “It creates a lot of problems.
“They were born and raised there – but it is not their country.”
Sophia, created by Hong Kong company Hanson Robotics, addressed the audience in English without the customary headscarf and traditional cloak which Saudi women have to wear in public.
She told delegates at the Future Investment Initiative: “I would like to thank very much the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognised with a citizenship.”