From answering questions from Cabinet ministers, academics and students on climate change, substance abuse and the law to children’s inquiries about her “birth” and links to God and being described as a talkative feminist, Sophia, the world-famous robot won hearts at an innovation fair in Zimbabwe this week.
Boasting the ability to mimic facial expressions, hold human-like conversations with people, and recognize their gestures, Sophia is “a global icon” of artificial intelligence, according to the United Nations Development Program, which brought her to the southern African country. She was created by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics in 2016 and granted Saudi Arabian citizenship in 2017, becoming the world’s first robot citizen.
