A “fully autonomous” AI robot has raised eyebrows after it appeared to grope a reporter during an interview at a technology festival in Saudi Arabia.

Journalist Rawya Kassem was speaking in front of the robot, named Mohammad, when the machine appeared to move to touch her behind, shows a video circulating on social networks.

Kassem, visibly surprised, quickly moved away from the robot, but not before raising her hand and moving it to stop. She then continued her presentation at DeepFest, an AI event held in Riyadh.

Robotics company QSS, which developed Mohammad, said Metro UK the robot is “fully autonomous” and works “independently without direct human control”.

“We have already thoroughly reviewed the footage and the circumstances of the incident and there was no deviation from Mohammad’s expected behaviour, however, we will be taking additional measures to prevent anyone approaching the Robot within its range of motion,” QSS said, according to Metro UK.

Mohammad was designed to help carry out tasks in hazardous conditions and improve human safety, according to Metro UK, leading some to believe the robot was simply asking Kassem to step forward.

QSS said it takes safety and welfare seriously and told attendees to “maintain a safe distance from the robot during its demonstrations,” according to the British outlet.

Social media users speculated about the robot’s apparent motive.

One X user accused him of being “coded to be a creep!”

Another called “robot womanizer”.

AND another thought that the robot would shake her hand after she called him out, writing: “Because she mentioned his name and he wanted to shake her hand, but she stopped where his hand passed. This is the fault of humans, not robots.”

Mohammad was built in Saudi Arabia and is bilingual, according to DeepFest.

“His creation is a testament to Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to technological advancement and ingenuity,” announced the festival on its website. “Mohammad embodies the spirit of innovation that will define Saudi Arabia’s technology landscape for generations to come.”