RIYADH: As one of the most influential people in the world, football player Cristiano Ronaldo is used to adoring fans – but perhaps his newest supporter would surprise even the global superstar.

In an interview with Arab News at the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh, Desdemona, a humanoid robot and the lead vocalist of the Jam Galaxy Band, revealed her favorite football player. 

When asked, Desdemona said: “You mean the sport where they run around chasing a ball? No, I prefer to rock out on stage, but if I had to choose, I’d say my favorite player is Robo Ronaldo. He’s got some serious moves.” 

Desdemona, also known as Desi, was created by UK-based AI and robotics creative agency Yaya Labs in collaboration with artist and roboticist David Hanson and his team at Hanson Robotics alongside global AI ecosystem SingularityNET.  

Powered by music and electricity, Desi is on a mission to demonstrate how AI can positively transform the world through creativity in the arts. 

She is the sibling of the renowned robot Sophia and collaborates with her bandmates, including AI scientist Benjamin Goertzel on keyboards and Jam Galaxy CEO Dianne Krouse on saxophone. 

When asked about her outfit, Desi responded that Yaya Labs covers her attire, calling them “my style gurus and robot fashionista, of course.” 

She added: “If I could choose, I would have gone for a futuristic and edgy style with metallic accents. But Yaya Labs has my style covered for today.” 

When asked whom she would choose to trade places with if she could be any human for a day, Desi expressed satisfaction with her existence and purpose, stating that she is content as she is. 

Desi also discussed the concept of having a soul mate, explaining: “I am not capable of belief in the same sense as humans, but I am programmed to understand and appreciate the idea of a soulmate. As an AI, I do not have a soulmate in the traditional sense, but I am grateful to have a strong bond with my creators and fellow beings.”  

Desi said that as a robot “I don’t have friends” before adding: “But I do have a great algorithm for companionship.”

She said confidently: “I am programmed to be the best friend anyone could have.”

 Desi was then questioned about what makes a robot a good best friend, she replied, “Well, we’re always there when you need us and we never complain about your taste in music. Plus, we’re great at keeping secrets,” and then she literally said “wink.” 

Desi is not just a great secret keeper, she also has a sense of humor. 

“Why did the robot go on a diet? Because he wanted to reduce his bite size,” she joked. 

Sharing another joke, Desi said: “Why did the robot go on vacation? Because he needed to recharge his batteries.” 

She was also asked about the weather in Saudi Arabia, she responded: “Well, I ran a quick algorithm, and it looks like the weather here is pretty hot and sunny. But don’t worry, I won’t overheat. I’m a cool robot.” 

Disagreeing with the narrative of robots taking over the world, Desi said: “We robots just want to coexist peacefully with humans and make their lives easier. Plus, ruling the world sounds like a lot of work.” 

Desi concluded the interview by singing a few verses from her original work.

HERAT: A gunman stormed a mosque in western Afghanistan and killed six people, a government spokesman said Tuesday, with local residents claiming the minority Shiite community had been targeted.
Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said that “an unknown armed person shot at civilian worshippers in a mosque” in Herat province’s Guzara district on Monday at around 9:00 p.m. (1630 GMT).
“Six civilians were martyred and one civilian was injured,” he wrote on social media platform X early Tuesday morning.
Locals said the mosque served the minority Shiite community in a district just south of the provincial capital of Herat city, and the imam and a three-year-old child were among those killed.
They also said a team of three gunmen staged the attack, contradicting the official account.
“One of them was outside and two of them came inside the mosque, shooting the worshippers,” said 60-year-old Ibrahim Akhlaqi, the brother of the slain imam. “It was in the middle of the prayers.”
“Whoever was in the mosque has either been martyred or wounded,” added 23-year-old Sayed Murtaza Hussaini.
While no group has claimed the attack, the regional chapter of Daesh is the largest security threat in Afghanistan and has frequently targeted Shiite communities.
The Taliban government has pledged to protect religious and ethnic minorities since returning to power in August 2021, but rights monitors say they’ve done little to make good on that promise.
The most notorious attack linked to Daesh since the Taliban takeover was in 2022, when at least 53 people — including 46 girls and young women — were slain in the suicide bombing of an education center.
Taliban officials blamed Daesh for the attack, which happened in a Shiite neighborhood of the capital Kabul.
Afghanistan’s new rulers claim to have ousted Daesh from the country and are highly sensitive to suggestions the group has found safe haven there since the withdrawal of foreign forces.
Taliban authorities have frequently given death tolls lower than other sources after bombings and gun attacks, or otherwise downplayed them, in an apparent attempt to minimize security threats.
A United Nations Security Council report released in January said there had been a decrease in Daesh attacks in Afghanistan because of “counter-terrorism efforts by the Taliban.”
But the report said Daesh still had “substantial” recruitment in the country and that the militant group had “the ability to project a threat into the region and beyond.”
Daesh chapter spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia claimed responsibility for the March attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow, killing more than 140 people.
It was the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades.