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Love in the Age of COVID 19
“Sex robots are going to require multiple disciplines to come together,” futurist AV Flox told the BBC. No, Mr. Flox wasn’t talking about a pair of S&M robots achieving mutual orgasm. He was listing the breakthroughs needed for sex robots to find favor among flesh-and-blood consumers. Specifically…
“Nanotechnology to replicate non-uniform textures of skin an AI complete with natural language understanding.” Yeah, about that AI language thing . . .
Mr. Flox’s spoke to Auntie Beeb way back in 2016, when SIRI and Alexa were dating. I mean, debuting. Actually, Siri hit the streets in 2011 and Alexa said hello to Amazonians in 2014.
Here we are in 2023 and neither “device” is capable of holding a decent conversation – never mind talking dirty. Or, you know, getting it on. But OMG have we moved on in terms of interactive AI speech capabilities.
Chat.D-ID lets you “create and interact with talking avatars at the touch of a button, to increase engagement and reduce costs.” It’s basically a voice-controlled Chat GPT. SIRI can do that too! But SIRI isn’t a redhead giving you that look.
Despite the video’s “sex sells” ploy, despite Slutbot establishing a market for AI sexting, the folks behind Chat.D-ID look askance at the possibility of using their unnamed avatar for sexual gratification. In fact, their ethics page has a whiff of Chris Hansen to it.
We will not knowingly license the use of our platform to political parties. Nor will we knowingly work with pornography publishers or terrorist organizations, gun or arms manufacturers. Should we discover that such organizations are leveraging our technology, we will do everything legally within our power to suspend services.
Someone needs to send founders Kuta, Perry and Blondheim a YCSTS (You Can’t Stop the Signal) T-shirt.
Meanwhile, new and more powerful AI language programs are appearing with alarming frequency. Tapping into increasingly fast and convincing interactive AI speech technology, the sex doll industry will soon surmount Mr. Flox’s “natural language” hurdle. It’s not like they’re starting from scratch….
That’s Amber, a “Self-Learning Artificially Intelligent Sex Doll with Touch Sensors, Body Temperature Control, Interactive Voice Communication and Emotional Facial Expressions.”
Her facial expressions are hardly convincing and her voice is about as sexy as the old talking clock, but what do you expect for $3545? Creating a proper AI sex robot is the sex doll industry’s Horny Grail. There’s plenty of money to play for; it’s a multi-billion dollar industry waiting to happen.
As for facing Mr. Flox’s “nanotechnology” skin texture challenge, sex toy makers solved that one a long time ago. To wit: sextoycollective.com’s review of the RealCock 2.
The RealCock 2 is made with medical grade platinum-cured silicone – non-porous, body safe, durable and easy to clean . . . I recently got to experience the RealCock 2 for myself and let me just say that if sex dolls and sex robots are getting cocks like these, I can definitely see how AI could wipe out humanity.
And there, Mr. Flox and friends, is the real question hanging over the future of AI sex robots: their impact on society. What could possibly go wrong? laweekly.com’s Ivy Cosca tackled that one yesterday.
There are those who are against the production of sex robots — they think that some people might “rape” them. If the androids are used for that purpose, it might encourage sex offenders to commit it against human beings — but others suggest that it might decrease the prevalence of sex crimes.
Ms. Cosca didn’t bring up the “m words” (misogyny and misandry), but there are plenty of people who see AI sex robots as a direct threat to the mutual respect that informs – or should inform – human interaction. Just ask the people behind campaignagainstsexrobots.org. Their six goals:
1. To abolish pornbots in the form of women and girls.2. To offer an alternative, relational model of sex and sexuality informed by mutuality.3. To challenge the normalisation of pornbots as substitutes for relationships with women.4. To oppose the development of child sex-abuse dolls/robots as ‘therapeutic’ for paedophiles.5. To offer up an alternative vision of technology where women and girls are centred and valued.6. To work across the political spectrum with those who value the dignity of women and girls.
Another YCSTS T-shirt please.
“Proper” AI sex robots are in our future. Their psychological impact is hard to gauge. That doesn’t stop the professional gaugers of course. Experts say AI 'companions' will revolutionize relationships, but could become 'default connection' for people foxnews.com warns. Sounds like a plan! But I do have questions….
Will sex workers dream of electric sheep? Will there be laws about what the robots can and cannot look like, and what owners/pimps can and can not do with/to them? Will battery makers be up to the job (so to speak)?
Will someone revive the old Timex watch slogan, “it takes a licking and keeps on ticking?” Enquiring minds want to know.
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