Saudi Arabia granted a citizenship to a robot in a first measure of its kind in the world on Wednesday.
The move is an attempt to promote Saudi Arabia as a place to develop artificial intelligence – and, presumably, allow it to become a full citizen.
The robot, named Sophia, was confirmed as a Saudi citizen during the Future Investment Initiative conference held in Riyadh.
The robot then thanked the country and the event for the attention.
“Thank you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction,” Sophia told the panel. “It is historic to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship.”