The sci-fi film "Ex Machina" very adroitly addresses the idea of a robot passing the Turing test and actually entering human society looking just like any other human being. Although somewhat unsettling, the film is extremely compelling and intellectually stimulating. The concept depicted in "Ex Machina" may actually become a reality much sooner than we think. Hong Kong based company Hanson Robotics has recently produced a robot called Sophia who became a Saudi Arabian citizen in October 2017. This marks an historical moment as Sophia is the first robot ever to be awarded citizenship of any country. Could this be a portent of things to come? Very likely. Given the enormous strides being made within AI and machine learning, we are likely to see many more robots like Sophia enter our society. This raises a number of very important matters relating to fundamental human rights. After all, should robots like Sophia be given the very same rights as human beings? Some would say yes, others would say no. These issues will need to be addressed before we progress with releasing robots into our society. However, one thing is for sure. Robots will play an integral role within our future economy. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen. The video below on Sophia is well worth watching to get an idea of what to expect!
