(Revised post)

Arab News, the official outlet of the Royal Saudis, proudly reported of Saudi Arabia being “the first country to grant a robot citizenship”. Below is a more sober account of this publicity stunt.

It is ironic for a country ruled by fundamentalist zealots to equate a machine to humans. What ‘citizenship’ means in an absolute monarchy which executes more of its human ‘citizens’ than ISIS and where women aren’t allowed to walk alone? Very little. That may be why the Saudi royals could afford pull such a stunt without considering the resulting legal and moral quagmire.