Monday, January 8, 2024

SexBot Brothels? Where might we see robots?

Ry Crist, X-SCITECH, CNET (CBS News.com, 7/7/17); Eds., Wisdom Quarterly
We are not monsters. Give us your money. We have male dolls, too. (CBS News)
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Sexbot brothels? What we might see in an era of sex robots
Favorite model Robotic Boob Boebert
From delivery drones to automated cars, robots are on the rise -- and that includes robots one can have sex with, thanks to the growing number of companies working to bring artificially intelligent (AI) sex dolls to the masses.

The Foundation for Responsible Robotics, which calls for "accountable innovation for the humans behind the robots," sees sexualized robots creeping up on the horizon, so it put together a comprehensive report on the subject.

It's a fascinating read, covering evolving societal attitudes, ethical implications, and sociological concerns.

The entire report is worth a look, but here are seven key takeaways.

Sex robots skew toward men, but women are interested, too
What if AI sexbots becomes sentient?
The report cites a number of studies on whether people would have sex with a robot and points to a wide range of responses.

For instance, 9 percent of respondents to a Huffington Post survey expressed interest in the idea; another survey found 66 percent of men and about half as many (33%) women would want to give sexbots a go.

Still another poll found that 86 percent of respondents believed a robot would be able to satisfy their sexual desires, suggesting potential for the market to grow as attitudes toward sex robots evolve.
Social acceptance of the fantasy will be key for adoption
I don't really look like a Fox News sexbot, do I?
The report also examines what future relationships with sex robots might look like and draws comparisons to professional sex workers [prostitutes], many who say, according to the report, that high-paying clients often want to drink, socialize, and do drugs together to form the pretense of a relationship in addition to having sex.

While the technology needed to make sex robots into drinking buddies is likely a long way off, the report points to men who say they've formed emotional connections with inanimate dolls.

These sorts of "fictive relationships" are a little like imaginative play, the report says, and social acceptance of these kinds of relationships will be needed for more people to feel comfortable entering into them.

The table's set for sex robot brothels
Sex robot brothels? What we might see in an era of sexbot prostitution? (CBS News)
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In another of the many surveys cited in the report, respondents were asked if sex robots were an acceptable substitute for prostitutes.

On a scale of one to seven, with one being unacceptable and seven being acceptable, the survey results averaged out to a perhaps surprisingly high six.

This, coupled with the fact that bordellos of inanimate sex dolls are already on the rise in Asia, leads the authors of the report... More

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