AI Firm Defends Robotic Amid Groping Allegations

QSS, the AI firm accountable for the Saudi humanoid robotic accused of groping a feminine reporter, has defended the robotic’s actions, claiming there have been “no deviations from anticipated habits.” The incident occurred throughout the DeepFest convention in Riyadh, the place attendees have been reportedly warned to not stand too near the robotic, referred to as “Android Muhammad.”

In a video capturing the incident, the robotic is seen standing beside a female-attired robotic and two reporters, one male and one feminine. The Muhammad robotic seems to succeed in in direction of the feminine journalist, briefly lifting the again of her blazer. The reporter, Rawya Kassem, reacts in shock, gesturing for the robotic to cease.

Saudi Arabia unveils its man formed AI robotic Mohammad, reacts to reporter in its first look pic.twitter.com/1ktlUlGBs1

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QSS prompt that the robotic might have been trying to encourage Kassem to step ahead on the stage, probably stopping her from falling off a brief pedestal. The corporate emphasised that it had knowledgeable all attendees, together with reporters, to keep up a secure distance from the robotic throughout its demonstration.

Regardless of issues raised by the incident, QSS carried out an inner evaluation of the footage and circumstances, concluding that there have been no surprising behaviors. Nevertheless, the corporate said it might implement extra measures to forestall related incidents sooner or later.

The response from QSS parallels widespread defenses seen in allegations of sexual misconduct, the place inner investigations usually discover no wrongdoing and blame is shifted onto the victims. This incident highlighted the complexities surrounding human-robot interactions and underscored the necessity for clear tips and safeguards in such interactions.

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