This is the awkward moment a male humanoid robot appeared to touch a presenter's backside during a live broadcast in Saudi Arabia.

The AI-powered machine named 'Mohammad' sparked controversy when it allegedly groped reporter Rawya Kassem in the middle of a news report at the DeepFast tech exhibit in Riyadh on March 4.

Footage shows Mohammad - garbed in the traditional white thawb robe and checkered keffiyeh of Arabic men - extending its hand and touching Rawya on her behind.

The visibly uncomfortable reporter was quick to react by raising her hand to create distance between herself and the robot.

Mohammad was reported to have addressed the crowd at the event in perfect Arabic, saying: 'I am Muhammad, the first Saudi robot in the form of a man. I was manufactured and developed here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a national project to demonstrate our achievements in the field of artificial intelligence.'

Mohammad was made by QSS Systems as a male counterpart to 'Sara', a robotic assistant intended to speed up the Emirates' check-in procedure.

The robot's alleged inappropriate behaviour has been blamed on technical glitches.