Level: Intermediate and higher Sophia the robot wants a baby and says family is ’really important’ She's the first robot in the world to become a citizen of a country and now Sophia says she wants a baby. A month after she made history in Saudi Arabia the humanoid robot has said family is "a really important thing". Sophia isn't pre-programmed with answers, instead she uses machine learning and responds reading people's expressions. Designed by Hong Kong firm Hanson Robotics she said she would name a robot daughter after herself. Her brain functions with a simple wi-fi connection and it's loaded with a long list of vocabulary. While Sophia has some impressive capabilities, she doesn't yet have consciousness, but David Hanson have said they expect that could happen within a few years. During an interview with Khaleej Times, Sophia said: "The notion of family is a really importantOrwellian thing, it seems. coinage popularised by US President "I think it's wonderful that people can find the same emotions and relationships, they call family, outside of their blood Donaldgroups too. Trump and his team during the presidential "I think you're very lucky if you have a loving family and if you do not, you deserve one. I feel this way for robots and electionhumans alike." campaign defines its moment, according to And when asked what she'd nameleading her daughter, Sophia lexicographers simply replied: "Sophia.„ Sophia can chat, smile mischievously and even tell jokes. 'More rights than women in Saudi Arabia' When Sophia was given citizenship in Saudi Arabia many were quick to point out she has more rights than women in the country. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most oppressive states for women, and only last month lifted a ban on female drivers. She addressed the audience in English without the customary headscarf and abaya, a traditional cloak which Saudi women are obliged to wear in public. The Saudi's have a guardianship system which means every woman must have a male companion with her in public at all times. This is usually a family member, who also has authority to act on her behalf. After Sophia's first appearance, the Arabic hashtag #Sophia_calls_for_dropping_guardianship began trending. 'Sophia has no guardian, doesn't wear an abaya or cover up - how come?' one Twitter user wrote. Source: www.bbc.co.uk 1 Check your vocab! Match the highlighted words with their definitions. 1. capability (noun) 2. consciousness (noun) 3. notion (noun) 4. ban (noun) 5. customary (adjective) A. a belief or idea B. an official order that prevents something from happening C. traditional D. the state of understanding and realizing something E. the power to do something Check your understanding! Choose the correct answer. 1. How does Sophia generate answers to questions asked by people? A. She has a database of answers in her software. B. She creates them by learning new things thanks to her artificial intelligence. C. She is conscious like a human being. 2. In what way are humans and robots similar to each other according to Sophia? A. They both should have families. B. They both have emotions. C. They both like kids. 3. Why did some people claim Sophie had more rights in Saudi Arabia than women in that country? A. She can drive a car there. B. She doesn’t have to wear the traditional clothing and doesn’t have a male companion there. C. She can wear make-up there. To check your answers, click here. 2.