A “fully autonomous” AI robot has raised eyebrows after appearing to grope a reporter during an interview at a technology festival in Saudi Arabia.
Journalist Rawya Kassem was speaking in front of the robot, named Mohammad, when the machine looked as if it would move to the touch her behind, a video circulating on social media shows.
Kassem, visibly startled, quickly moved away from the robot, but not before holding up her hand and motioning it to stop. She then continued on together with her presentation at DeepFest, an AI event happening in Riyadh.
Robotics firm QSS, who developed Mohammad, told Metro UK the robot is “fully autonomous” and operates “independently without direct human control.”
“Now we have already conducted a radical review of the footage and the circumstances surrounding the incident and there was no deviations from the expected behavior of Mohammad, nevertheless, we are going to take additional measures to stop anyone getting near the Robot inside its areas of movement,” QSS said, in keeping with Metro UK.
Mohammad was designed to assist perform tasks in hazardous conditions and help improve safety for humans, in keeping with Metro UK, causing some to consider the robot was simply asking Kassem to step forward.
QSS said it takes safety and well-being seriously and told attendees to “maintain a protected distance from the robot during its demonstrations,” in keeping with the British outlet.
Social media users speculated over the robot’s apparent motive.
One X user accused it of being “coded to be a creep!”
One other called it a “womanizer robot.”
And one other pondered that the robot was going to shake her hand after she called his name, writing: “Because she mentioned his name and he desired to shake her hand, but she stood where his hand passed. That is the fault of humans, not the robot.”
Mohammad was in-built Saudi Arabia and is bilingual, in keeping with DeepFest.
“His creation is a testament to Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to technological advancement and ingenuity,” the festival said on its website. “Mohammad embodies the spirit of innovation that defines Saudi Arabia’s technological landscape, inspiring generations to return.”
