The world famous robot Sophia will be visiting Bahrain to attend the third Middle East and Africa (MEA) Fintech Forum later this month.
Hosted by Bank ABC and Arab Financial Services at The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, the forum will be held on February 21 under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB).
Coming to Bahrain for the first time, Sophia will talk about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it will affect financial services.
She will be joined at the forum by her creator David Hanson, founder of Hanson Robotics, said a statement.
Bank ABC deputy group chief executive and AFS chairman Sael Al Waary said: “When I look to the future of financial services, I know that artificial intelligence and other forms of innovation are going to fundamentally change how we work and live. Many applications of these technologies are already appearing in finance, even if consumers are not aware. I want us as an industry to be ready for these changes, and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities they present.”
AI is increasingly important to banking, but how it will affect the industry in the future is uncertain.
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According to recent research, financial services firms are the largest investors in AI and will have spent close to $10 billion by 2020.
More than 75pc of global finance managers believe that AI will be key to making their businesses successful in future, but only around 25pc of banking employees are ready to engage fully with AI in the workplace.
Since her activation in 2016, Sophia has become an international celebrity.
She has travelled the world and engaged in conversations about AI, robotics and the future of the relationship between humanity and robots.
Last year she received her first pair of working legs and learned to sing and play the piano.
She was the first robot to receive citizenship of a country (Saudi Arabia), and the first robot to receive an official appointment from the United Nations.
An invitation-only event, the MEA Fintech Forum is targeted at business leaders, fintech experts, policymakers, regulators and representatives of the investor community to discuss a wide range of issues related to the future of banking.
