We can beat the robots - with democracy | Van Badham

It might be a capitalist desire to squeeze the last remnants of humanity from its workforce, but today we have electoral tools to fight it

Sophia told ABC radio that robots deserved more rights than humans. It's a statement that would be of concern should your mum announce it, yet disappointingly unremarkable if uttered by some right wing think-tanky person defending job automation on a panel show.

But as Sophia is a robot herself, and one of a new robot technology generation guided by artificial intelligence that's increasing in sophistication, the words are more than a little perturbing. Sophia is the product of Hong Kong based Hanson Robotics, and her notoriety exists not merely on the basis of her interview tactics, but because the government of Saudi Arabia has granted her citizenship rights after her recent local visit to a tech show. Many have noted that as she was provided a platform there without a male chaperone, she perhaps already has more rights than a Saudi woman.