<P> On November 28 SingularityNET, a platform dedicated to powering the decentralized artificial intelligence economy announced the launch of a token sale to crowdfund Sophia's brain . SingularityNET is co-founded by Hanson Robotics Chief Scientist Ben Goertzel and Dr. David Hanson . To build a better robot, Hanson Robotics needs more and better code . SingularityNET is a proposed blockchain - based marketplace where AIs could learn from each other by leveraging their respective datasets and specialized functionalities . Developers on the platform would use blockchain tokens to gain access to the datasets, make use of an AI's analytical capabilities, or monetize their own AI . According to the company's white paper, Sophia will be one of the first SingularityNET Agents . This will allow other developers to make use of her cognitive services while also allowing her to benefit from the intelligence of other agents on the platform . </P> <P> Sophia is conceptually similar to the computer program ELIZA, which was one of the first attempts at simulating a human conversation . The software has been programmed to give pre-written responses to specific questions or phrases, like a chatbot . These responses are used to create the illusion that the robot is able to understand conversation, including stock answers to questions like "Is the door open or shut?" The information is shared in a cloud network which allows input and responses to be analysed with blockchain technology . The robot's range of facial expressions are facilitated by its artificial "frubber" skin, which is mechanically manipulated . </P> <P> Sophia has been interviewed in the same manner as a human, striking up conversations with hosts . Some replies have been nonsensical, while others have impressed interviewers such as 60 Minutes' Charlie Rose . In a piece for CNBC, when the interviewer expressed concerns about robot behavior, Sophia joked that he had "been reading too much Elon Musk . And watching too many Hollywood movies". Musk tweeted that Sophia could watch The Godfather and suggested "what's the worst that could happen?" Business Insider's chief UK editor Jim Edwards interviewed Sophia, and while the answers were "not altogether terrible", he predicted it was a step towards "conversational artificial intelligence". </P> <P> On October 11, 2017, Sophia was introduced to the United Nations with a brief conversation with the United Nations Deputy Secretary - General, Amina J. Mohammed . On October 25, at the Future Investment Summit in Riyadh, the robot was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship, becoming the first robot ever to have a nationality . This attracted controversy as some commentators wondered if this implied that Sophia could vote or marry, or whether a deliberate system shutdown could be considered murder . Social media users used Sophia's citizenship to criticize Saudi Arabia's human rights record . As explained by Ali Al - Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, "Women (in Saudi Arabia) have since committed suicide because they couldn't leave the house, and Sophia is running around (without a male guardian). Saudi law doesn't allow non-Muslims to get citizenship . Did Sophia convert to Islam? What is the religion of this Sophia and why isn't she wearing hijab? If she applied for citizenship as a human she wouldn't get it ." </P>

Sophia the first humanoid robot to receive citizenship