Saudi Arabia’s first humanoid male robot allegedly harassed a female reporter, in a viral video circulating on social media platforms.
Onlookers translated the hand movement of the robot as a technical malfunction, while others speculated that it was natural as the presenter was standing close to it.
First Saudi humanoid robot
The male robot, named Muhammad, was unveiled during the second edition of DeepFast in Riyadh, in hopes to advance Artificial Intelligence in the country, however, things went south when the robot’s action sparked controversy on social media platforms.
Introducing itself on the Main Stage at DeepFest, the robot said, “I am Muhammad, the first Saudi robot in the form of a man. I was manufactured and developed here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a national project to demonstrate our achievements in the field of artificial intelligence.”
In the video, Rawya Kassem, a Saudi female reporter, is seen reporting about the robot who extends its hand towards her back, prompting her to scoot over.
The video, which lasted 8 seconds, spread like wildfire on social media platforms.
