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The Saudi Arabian humanoid robot incident touched female journalists. (Photo: Lokmattimes)
JAKARTA – An artificial intelligence (AI) company defended its robot after being accused of harassing a woman in front of the camera.
The Futurism page reported, Tuesday (12/3/2024), that this incident involved a Saudi Arabian humanoid robot which looked like it was touching the body of a female reporter during a shooting session.
In an interview with British tabloid Metro, QSS, the AI company that developed the robot, stated that it had warned attendees of the DeepFest conference in Riyadh not to stand too close to the “Android Muhammad.”
In the video recording the incident, an android wearing typical Arab men's clothing in the form of a white thobe and keffiyah stands next to another robot wearing a traditional headscarf.
In front of the robot pair, two reporters, namely one woman and one man, are reporting the surrounding atmosphere to the viewers. In the short video footage, the humanoid robot can be seen trying to grab the female journalist and lift the back of the blazer she was wearing.
The reporter, Rawya Kassem from Al-Arabiya, looked shocked and turned to look at the robot before extending her hand towards the robot in a gesture for it to stop.
In a statement to Metro, QSS stated that it was possible that the robot, which was designed to help in dangerous situations, was trying to push Kassem to the front of the stage.
The company also added that it proactively informed all participants, including reporters, to maintain a safe distance from the robot during the demonstration. There is also a statement that if anyone is touched it is their own fault.
“We have conducted a thorough review of the footage and circumstances surrounding the incident and there was no deviation from expected behavior,” the company said in its official statement.
However, QSS promised to take additional steps to prevent anyone from approaching the robot in its movement area in the future. Although the internal investigation found no inappropriate incidents and warnings about the man's immoral behavior, this incident could be a lesson for codes of ethics in the world of robotics.
(msf)