![sex robot sex robot](https://todaytix.imgix.net/1524821932928_SWDRAOD+16000.jpg)
However, in so far as these two questions are closely and complexly related, inevitably I must also discuss the first. It is important to recognise that there are actually two different ethical questions at stake here: Is it wrong to rape a robot? and Is it wrong to design a robot meant to be raped (or even simply that admits of being raped)? I am mainly concerned with the second of these questions, which is arguably prior because unless robots admit of being raped no one will be able to rape a robot. Because any act of sexual intercourse without consent is rape, one might also include in this class any act of sexual intercourse with a robot where the robot fails to indicate consent - although, concern with the "consent" (or simulated consent) of the robot will require us to consider some difficult philosophical questions about the relationship between representation and reality.
#Sex robot series#
Most obviously, should sex robots be equipped with a sophisticated behavioural repertoire including vocal utterances then it is possible that a particular robot might - either as the result of an explicitly programmed script or as an unanticipated consequence of programmed responses to a series of stimuli - "refuse" sex by saying "no" when it is initiated, and even struggle and scream when sex continues beyond this point. However, the sorts of acts that I wish to focus on are acts that would constitute rape were they done to a real person rather than a robot. I have placed rape in inverted commas here because the question of whether or not it is appropriate to describe such acts as rape or even simulated rape will itself prove central to my enquiry. What I want to offer in this article are some reflections on a disconcerting possibility that will emerge once people start having sex with robots: the "rape" of robots. Correspondingly, there is now an emerging literature on the ethical and philosophical issues raised by the possibility of sex with robots (see, for instance, here and here). While latex "sex dolls" of the sort popularised in the film Lars and the Real Girl, have existed for several decades, recent advances in mechanics and animatronics hold out the prospect of manufacturing more-or-less lifelike humanoid robots with a wide range of behavioural responses designed to allow those who are so inclined the opportunity to indulge their sexual fantasies. Perhaps because of the overwhelmingly male character of the engineering profession, perhaps for other deeper reasons relating to anxieties about the boundaries between world and flesh, these dreams have often morphed into fantasies about having sex with an artificial woman. From its very inception, robotics has been haunted by dreams of developing an artificial woman.
![sex robot sex robot](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/75/75/71/16244338/19/1200x0.jpg)
This post originally appeared at The Conversation.Sex robots are, inevitably, a hot topic. How do we ensure they are safe? How will intimacy with a sex robot affect the human brain? Would sex with a childlike robot be ethical? And what exactly is a sexbot anyway? A 2017 survey suggested almost half of Americans think that having sex with robots will become a common practice within 50 years.Īs a scholar of artificial intelligence, neuroscience and the law, I’m interested in the legal and policy questions that sex robots pose. Unlike sex toys and dolls, which are typically sold in off-the-radar shops and hidden in closets, sexbots may become mainstream.
![sex robot sex robot](https://i1.wp.com/nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/10/shutterstock_340527959.jpg)
Behind the headlines, a number of companies are currently developing robots designed to provide humans with companionship and sexual pleasure – with a few already on the market. Are the “sexbots” close behind?įrom the Drudge Report to The New York Times, sex robots are rapidly becoming a part of the national conversation about the future of sex and relationships.