AKIPRESS.COM - A robot woman in Saudi Arabia was granted citizenship this week, sparking a backlash that said the robot appeared to have more rights than millions of human women and foreigners living in the Gulf nation.

Sophia, a robot with human female features that can make facial expressions and hold conversations, wooed the crowd when it debuted at a economic summit in the country’s capital, Riyadh, this week.

As it stood on stage during a panel Wednesday, the robot learned from the moderator, CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin, that Saudi Arabia had granted it what Sorkin called “the first Saudi citizenship for a robot.”

"It is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship." Please welcome the newest Saudi: Sophia. #FII2017 pic.twitter.com/bsv5LmKwlf

— CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) October 25, 2017