A “fully autonomous” AI robot raised eyebrows at a technology festival in Saudi Arabia after it appeared to grope a reporter during an interview.
Journalist Raya Kasem was speaking in front of a robot named Mohammad when the machine appeared to move to touch her behind. A video circulated on a social media show.
Kasem was clearly startled and quickly moved away from the robot, but then quickly raised his hand to signal for it to stop. She then went on to present at her AI event, DeepFest, in Riyadh.
QSS, the robot company that developed Mohammad, told Metro UK The robot is “fully autonomous” and operates “independently without direct human control.”
“We have already thoroughly investigated the footage and the circumstances of the incident, and while there was no deviation from Muhammad’s expected behavior, we have added precautions to ensure that anyone within the robot’s range of motion does not approach the robot. According to Metro UK, QSS said:
According to Metro UK, Mohammad is designed to help work in dangerous situations and improve human safety, and some believe the robot is simply asking Qasem to come forward. That’s what it means.
QSS takes safety and well-being seriously and instructed participants to “keep a safe distance from the robots during demonstrations,” according to British media reports.
Social media users speculated about the robot’s apparent motives.
One X user It charged that it was “coded to be creepy.”
someone else called it that “Womanizing robot”.
and another person thought She wrote that the robot tried to shake her hand after she called his name, writing: This is the fault of humans, not robots. ”
Mohammad was born in Saudi Arabia and is bilingual. According to DeepFest.
“His work is a testament to Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to technological advancement and ingenuity.” The festival stated on its website:. “Mohammad embodies the spirit of innovation that defines the Saudi technology landscape and is an inspiration for the next generation.”
