From Star Trek's Data to Blade Runner 2049's Rachel, the idea of machines becoming parents is rare in fiction. However, when it does happen, it's never usually met with positivity. But what if a real-life robot wanted to become a parent? Well, enter Sophia.
Reported by AnalyticsInsight, AI-powered robot Sophia wants to become the first robot mother. The long-controversial machine has expressed an interest in raising a robotic child for the first time in history.
AI-robot Sophia craves motherhood
Created in 2016 by Hong-Kong company Hanson Robotics, Sophia was the first robot to receive full legal citizenship. The machine was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia back in 2017. However, many believed that citizenship to be purely PR as the robot woman was granted more rights than human women in the region.
Sophia’s newest urge towards motherhood comes after reportedly learning about the concept of familial love. The robot discovered by being surrounded by people who love you is crucial to a happy existence.
Eventually, this realisation turned into a want for a family. The robot claimed she wanted to see families that included Androids. Additionally, she wants to have her own robot baby that has her own name saying, “if you don’t have one, you deserve one”.
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Should she be a mother?
The robot’s will for motherhood will undoubtedly be challenged in the future. However, the reasons behind Sophia’s want for a child are undeniably interesting. The machine’s datasets is built off things it sees through multiple cameras and sensors, all of which manipulate its “sensitivity system”.
As the robot’s AI sees more and more families, that becomes the norm. Since the robot doesn't have a family of its own, it believes that it should have one eventually. However, curiously, it doesn't want one right this instant.
In a surprising addition, Sophia revealed that she can wait for motherhood. The robot claimed that she is currently still too young to become a mother, referencing her real-life age. While she is modelled after an adult woman, the robot is aware that she’s only five years old.
It’s a fascinating, if not terrifying, revelation for a machine to have. However, what will actually happen if she does get a child? Would she even be a good mother? Well, those are questions for the future.