World's first robot to get citizenship : Sophia

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Sophia is the first robot to receive citizenship of any country and the first non-human to be given any United Nation title.

Sophia is one of the most heard names in the field of robotics in recent years. It’s a social humanoid robot who made her first public appearance by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in mid-March 2016 in Austin, Texas, United States. Sophia was first turned on on February 14 in the same year. But Sophia was activated on April 19, 2015, using artificial intelligence, visual data processing and facial recognition. This humanoid robot was developed by Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics.

Sofia is known for it’s human-like appearance and behavior compared to previous robotic variants. Her architecture includes scripting software, a chat system, and OpenCog, an AI system designed for general reasoning. Her intelligence software is designed by Hanson Robotics. Sophia imitates human gestures and facial expressions and is able to answer certain questions and to make simple conversations on predefined topics. Her inventor David Hanson designed Sophia to be a suitable companion for the elderly at nursing homes, or to help crowds at large events or parks. He has said that he hopes that the robot can ultimately interact with other humans sufficiently to gain social skills.
Cameras within Sophia's eyes combined with computer algorithms allow her to see. She can follow faces, sustain eye contact, and recognize individuals. She is able to process speech and have conversations using a natural language subsystem. CNBC has commented on Sophia's "lifelike" skin and her ability to emulate more than 60 facial expressions. Around January 2018, Sophia was upgraded with functional legs and the ability to walk.

Sophia is marketed as a "social robot" that can mimic social behavior and induce feelings of love in humans. David Hanson has said that Sophia would ultimately be a good fit to serve in healthcare, customer service, therapy and education. In 2019, Sophia displayed the ability to create drawings, including portraits.

Sophia has been covered by media around the globe and has participated in many high-profile interviews. She has been interviewed in the same manner as a human, striking up conversations with hosts. Sophia has appeared on CBS 60 Minutes with Charlie Rose, Good Morning Britain with Piers Morgan, and outlets like CNBC, Forbes, Mashable, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She was featured in AUDI's annual report. She has also appeared in videos and music videos, including The White king, and as the lead female character in pop singer Leehom Wang’s music video A.

In October 2017, Sophia became a Saudi Arabian citizen, the first robot to receive citizenship of any country. On November 21, 2017, Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programme's first-ever Innovation Champion for Asia and the Pacific. As part of her role, Sophia will help to unlock innovation to work toward achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. Sophia, the lifelike robot, which had generated quite a buzz among the youth and the artificial intelligence industry around the world, came to Bangladesh to make an appearance at the Digital World Exposition on December 6,2016.