Recently, a robot was caught on video apparently groping a reporter in Saudi Arabia.
The incident occurred during DeepFest in Riyadh, an event promoted as the main meeting point for the global artificial intelligence ecosystem. During the exhibition, reporter Rawya Kassem was speaking in front of the AI robot named Mohammad when he made a move trying to touch her inappropriately.
Kassem reacted immediately, stepping back and turning away with his hand raised, showing disapproval, but continued his work.
Created by the company QSS, located in Saudi Arabia, Mohammad is considered a true innovation in the field of robotics. Wearing traditional attire, such as a red keffiyeh, he surprised the audience by introducing himself speaking in Arabic.
But what was supposed to be an impressive demonstration by the robot ended up becoming a cyber fiasco. The video took the internet by storm, but not for the right reasons. Many questioned the robot’s programming.
QSS confirmed to Metro.co.uk that Mohammad is “fully autonomous” and was operating “independently, without direct human control”.
One possible interpretation is that the robot was encouraging Kassem to progress, rather than having any malicious intent. Mohammad was designed in part to perform tasks in adverse conditions, increasing safety and decreasing risk to humans.
“Its creation is a testament to Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to technological advancement and ingenuity,” writes a post on the DeepFest website.
The incident shows the challenge that humanity faces when living with robots on a daily basis, raising yet another ethical dilemma about the growth of AI.
QSS stated that it takes the safety and well-being of all participants at its events very seriously and that staff had “proactively informed all participants, including journalists, to maintain a safe distance from the robot during its demonstration.” .
They further added: “We have already carried out an exhaustive analysis of the images and circumstances surrounding the incident and there were no deviations from Mohammad’s expected behavior, however, we will take additional measures to prevent anyone from approaching the robot in its movement areas ”.
