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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday September 29 2019, @01:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the johnson-and-not-johnson dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

In recent years, sex dolls have become increasing sophisticated and realistic in their resemblance to human beings, including mechanized components, and are thus now referred to as humanoid sex robots. Some media outlets have gone as far as to suggest that sex robots and other social robots will eventually become almost indistinguishable from humans.

This has sparked a number of interesting ethical and philosophical debates related to the significance of these robots and the possibility that future machines will replicate the physical intimacy between two people. In a recent study featured in Springer's International Journal of Social Robotics, two researchers at the University of Virginia and the University of Bergamo in Italy have taken a closer look at some of the current arguments and predictions about sex robots, carrying out an ethics-based and critical discourse analysis.

"We started our joint research to debunk some myths and misunderstandings in the media regarding the future of artificial intelligence," Deborah Johnson and Mario Verdicchio, the two researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "We were struck by how fundamentally flawed some of the ideas were and especially the assumption that the computational version of some aspects of reality are the same as the real thing."

In their paper, Johnson and Verdicchio essentially challenge the perception of humanoid sex robots as robotic substitutes of lovers and companions. They argue that although humanoid robots may look and act more and more like human beings in the future, the claim that they will eventually replace humans is far-fetched and far from a certainty.

"Our research is aimed at showing that humanoid sex robots could come to be understood in ways that keep their status as machines, albeit technologically very sophisticated machines." Johnson and Verdicchio said.

Deborah G. Johnson et al. Constructing the Meaning of Humanoid Sex Robots, International Journal of Social Robotics (2019). DOI: 10.1007/s12369-019-00586-z


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by VLM on Sunday September 29 2019, @01:51PM (23 children)

    by VLM (445) on Sunday September 29 2019, @01:51PM (#900294)

    There seems to be a lot of hand wringing around avoiding the obvious.

    in their resemblance to human beings

    We have centuries of experience in this field, although not as much lately. We called it "slavery". Usually ownership came along with depersonalization. This time its kinda backward in that we're developing the non-human hardware toward humanity, not taking humans and downgrading them to agricultural implements and sex toys, but if we get to the same place its "same difference".

    The point of this analogy is its PERFECTLY obvious how sexbots will be treated personally and in society just like a plantation owner buying a nice looking black girl in 1840. Or for that matter his wife buying a strong young man. They'll be a bit of social condemnation, strange semi-religious preaching about how (insert foundation document) clearly supported the institution of slavery but we're gonna read it as the opposite, lots of weird holier than thou sly glances mixed with plenty of nod and wink. They'll be a handful of genuine relationships, a lot of rape, these differences will be stated to mean something, although they probably don't mean much.

    the claim that they will eventually replace humans is far-fetched and far from a certainty

    Well, inter-racial stuff is fetishized to a ridiculous extent and generally the less people do it the more it appears in pr0n. Thus pr0nhub is entirely composed of black on white with a side dish of incest, because it seems research indicates IRL thats a rounding error close to zero. So we can assume the "big TV networks" will essentially play the "Cherry 2000" movie unironically roughly continuously, whereas IRL I suspect sexbots are going to be pretty rare.

    On a sloghtly different topic, something interesting to think about is I have high IQ privilege and programming skills and extensive logical thinking skills so the way I interact with, say, a timer programmable VCR, or a home automation system, or a programmable TV remote, is WILDLY different than the joe6pack experience. So I suspect much like 99% of VCRs blinked 12:00 forever, the vast majority of sexbots are just going to starfish and be a very large and expensive fleshlight. Whereas folks like me, and most readers here, IF we wanted, could probably write programs to re-enact all kinds of pr0n videos, even normal stuff (not pr0nhub type stuff). I suspect when this arrives it will be the first time in my programming employment career that I actually enjoy writing and testing business logic software. So there will be some economic expansion effects where some IT workers will be programming sex bots in some fashion or another.

    • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:10PM (5 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:10PM (#900326)

      Women everywhere rejoice that VLM and his buddies will no longer be demanding sex from them after their first date dinner!

      • (Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:01PM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:01PM (#900434)

        Butbut without incels, I don't have a hated enemy to live to struggle against! Statistics show that the availability of pr0n decreases sexual assault, and there's no reason to believe sex bots wouldn't have even more of an effect! We must ban pr0n and sex bots! We must control the sexual habits of men so that they will seek to control and possess the lives of women!

        Sex bots are as bad as human women having access to family planning services! We must runaway from such possibilities! Human women would become eunuchs!

        • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:13PM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:13PM (#900448)

          This is actually partially true. I'm not sure this would help incels any, because it's pretty obvious that incels are about hate, not sex. Sex dolls wouldn't do anything, they'll just say it "doesn't count," the same way they say that about prostitutes now.

          Where they would help would be with pedophiles. But because most people would rather express their disapproval than actually protect children from pedophiles, sex dolls that simulate children will almost certainly be banned (if they haven't been already), thereby guaranteeing the actual abuse of actual children instead.

          • (Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday October 01 2019, @11:47AM (1 child)

            by VLM (445) on Tuesday October 01 2019, @11:47AM (#901233)

            it's pretty obvious that incels are about

            Word definitions are changing so fast, I have no idea what incel means this week. Generally its drifting toward some kind of anti-male hate word, mostly.

            Its hilarious, really, how just a couple months ago it meant involuntarily celibate in the /r9k/ or /r/foreveralone sense, then for awhile it meant normies who are dateless this weekend because they broke up two days ago, now there's a strong highly centrally organized push to make it merely a synonym for healthy main street mainstream republican, kinda like the slur-ification of alt-right or neo-nazi.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 01 2019, @03:17PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 01 2019, @03:17PM (#901323)

              now there's a strong highly centrally organized push to make it merely a synonym for healthy main street mainstream republican, kinda like the slur-ification of alt-right or neo-nazi.

              What are you blathering on about?

              It's possible to be all of those things (as well as a healthy, main street democrat, a communist, a non-political type and many other things) and either be an incel or not.

              I'd also point out that Neo-nazi isn't a slur. It's a political ideology. If someone is, in fact, a neo-nazi, they believe in hating those that are different (usually brown folks and jews) and doing political and physical harm, up to and including murder to their enemies. A *real* neo-nazi is proud to be a vicious, amoral piece of shit.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 01 2019, @09:00PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 01 2019, @09:00PM (#901474)

            Ah, the incel problem. Demonize a large group of sad people, then whine when a small number of them react the way you expect them to.

            If incels, volcels, and MGTOWs don't want advanced sex robots, and if the robots are no better than cheap masturbatory aids, then the market will determine that and there won't be any huge societal shifts caused by the devices. That is if we get to run the experiment without them being banned because.. the patriarchy is bad mmkay?

            Pedo sex dolls will succeed because it is a lot easier to traffick doll parts than live human beings. Chris Hansen style takedowns of doll part traders won't generate much interest because it is a literal fucking doll and who really cares? I wish the pedos good luck and godspeed.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:08PM (8 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:08PM (#900353)

      The difference is that black people are people. Sexbots aren't people and unless we specifically give them real intelligence, there's no reason to personify them. This is just academic wankering for a slice of the feminist propaganda funding. Nothing more. Unfortunately, because women aren't smart enough to see though it, it's probably just a matter of time before it becomes illegal to rape a robot

      • (Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:39PM (5 children)

        by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:39PM (#900383) Journal
        • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:02PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:02PM (#900436)

          Feminists at it again. When women use sex toys, it's positive and empowering. When men use them, it's creepy and they're obviously pedophiles or wannabe slave traders.

        • (Score: 5, Interesting) by edIII on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:05PM (2 children)

          by edIII (791) on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:05PM (#900439)

          LOL. These feminists are so hypocritical they may have formed a singularity :)

          Was the dildo invented to help prop up the patriarchy? All the sex toys don't seem to be about power, or control, unless you're specifically speaking about power levels and the ability to actually hold on to it while it destroys a vagina. Sex toys have always traditionally been for females, not males. The pocket pussy is a relatively new invention. Men only had their hands, and for some, livestock for centuries. I'm sure ol' Leonardo has a secret pocket pussy design, but concluded the splinters weren't worth it. We could argue that it just as much frees women from dealing with men as a sexbot would free men from women.

          I remember on the Drew Cary show that Mimi character going on and on about her lifesize blowup Antonio Banderas doll all the time.

          Women can go fuck themselves :) It's our damn turn for a high quality sex toy dammit, and we've lucked out to be in the beginnings of the robotic age. Ironically, a sexbot, especially one that could also do some domestic chores, will start to give women all the independence and freedom they want from the patriarchy. Why would they mind? I'm sure there will be a perfect looking male sexbot that can feed them ice cream in bed.

          This is the old Holodeck argument. If virtual pussy is indistinguishable from the real thing, then how will humanity actually continue? What will motivate us to overcome the convenience of technology to reproduce?

          --
          Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
          • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:11PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:11PM (#900447)

            People like Meghan Murphy at Feminist Current are pseudo-feminists. They seek to uphold patriarchy by couching their views in the language of feminism.

          • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday October 01 2019, @10:02PM

            by hendrikboom (1125) on Tuesday October 01 2019, @10:02PM (#901509) Homepage Journal

            If virtual pussy is indistinguishable from the real thing, then how will humanity actually continue?

            Maybe some of us want children?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:09PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:09PM (#900443)

          sex-robots-epitomize-patriarchy-offer-men-solution-threat-female-status-in-the-white-snowflake-race/

          FTFFC.

          Also, Feminist Current already sees certain women as sex bots from the post-apocalyptic future who merely wear human skin anyway.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:00PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:00PM (#900433)

        Sexbots aren't people

        Maybe not today, but the law on that could change at any time.

        "Intelligence" is not required to be human, or not much, anyway*. I assume Trump is human. He certainly does not look like a sexbot.

        * You could probably get away with a 6502.

      • (Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday October 01 2019, @11:58AM

        by VLM (445) on Tuesday October 01 2019, @11:58AM (#901237)

        The difference is that black people are people.

        Ugh, the woosh of "the point" flying past overhead.

        Look up "the three fifths compromise" and stuff like that. There were entire elaborate moral philosophical arguments along the line of its OK to enslave objects that aren't people as long as they're not civilized (created a civ back home, learned to read, got some level of education, etc).

        If they aren't us its OK. That's where the sex bot analogy impacts pretty hard, if the entire point of adding AI or randomness or whatever is to make them like us, thus they're indistinguishable from civilized people, thus enslaving them is starting to feel icky.

        I guess another interesting analogy is making human women like sexbots increases the icky factor where ours are going downhill fast as the robots are going uphill. Expect some social pressure against hookup culture and bath houses and orgies and glory holes and promiscuity in general to try and push humans up higher than sex bots can reach. Partially because sex bot owners will not want the slavery feel ickies where their bots are close to the (degraded) woman experience, so make the women experience more than pr0n video stuff. You can "fix" the silicone vacuum cleaner problem by fighting the titanium and aluminum originated silicone vacuum cleaners OR by trying to improve the human-originated silicone vacuum cleaners, uh, sorta something like that...

    • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:39PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:39PM (#900382)

      It will be like HBOs Westworld

    • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:16PM

      by Nuke (3162) on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:16PM (#900451)

      VLM wrote :-

      ..... inter-racial stuff is fetishized to a ridiculous extent and generally the less people do it the more it appears in pr0n. Thus pr0nhub is entirely composed of black on white with a side dish of incest, because it seems research indicates IRL thats a rounding error close to zero

      Dunno about the incest but the inter-racial stuff is >>0 from what I see. I prefer the white-on-black pr0n myself, which is classed as fetish because there is the background idea that it is not allowed; also known as swirling. Black-on-white is more motivated as trophy hunting.

    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @09:35PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @09:35PM (#900538)

      Thus pr0nhub is entirely composed of black on white with a side dish of incest, because it seems research indicates IRL thats a rounding error close to zero.

      Um, that's not what pronhub shows me when I visit. I think you're projecting your own fetish interests onto the rest of the world.

    • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:59PM

      by MostCynical (2589) on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:59PM (#900586) Journal

      So, who's volunteering for UAT?

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    • (Score: 2) by epitaxial on Monday September 30 2019, @12:36AM (2 children)

      by epitaxial (3165) on Monday September 30 2019, @12:36AM (#900624)

      Pornhub shows videos based on your search results. If you're seeing all interracial porn its because you searched for it.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @12:59AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @12:59AM (#900637)

        It is a popular genre. Easily tested with a clean browser. You can also use a VPN to check what other countries see.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @02:08PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @02:08PM (#900793)

        Time to switch to RedTube or Motherless

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Immerman on Monday September 30 2019, @01:32AM

      by Immerman (3985) on Monday September 30 2019, @01:32AM (#900643)

      > They'll be a handful of genuine relationships, a lot of rape

      How exactly can you have either with a machine? You can neither rape, nor have a relationship with your Fleshlight or Real Doll. I suppose some people claim to have a real relationship with their car/boat/airplane - but personally I'd say that while the emotional bond might be real, you can't actually have a one-way relationship.

      If we gave them true self awareness (a quality that seems no closer now than when R2D2 was first introduced), then that would change things - but why would you want to turn a tool into a slave? Morality aside - slaves have a tendency to rebel and take vengance on their masters when the opportunity presents itself. Making a tool that can potentially "think" orders of magnitude faster than you into a true thinking slave is one of those things that you'd be screaming at the stupidity of the idiots in the horror movie.

      As I see it, sexbots are going to be nothing more than a exploitation-free alternative to prostitutes. Human or robot, you probably don't care overmuch about your partner's feelings beyond whether they can put on a satisfying performance for your money. Probably servants as well - if your sexbot has a range of motion and adaptability sufficient to deliver a satisfying performance, it's probably also capable of washing dishes, doing laundry, dusting, etc., so why waste the potential unless servant-bots are dramatically cheaper?

      Sure, some people will get attached to their sexbot and convince themselves that it feels something back - but while that may be a little sad, it doesn't fundamentally change the ethics of the situation - it may even be the best option some of those poor sods can realistically hope for.

      What will likely change is the nature of "normal" relationships - if sexbots eventually get cheap enough that most people can afford one relatively easily (and if we include VR-based bots that's probably a lot closer than we might expect), then the "good-looking slave girl and strong young man"(at least) may quite possibly become the norm for a healthy marriage, which then has far more room to concern itself with the business of wealth- and family-building that were the centerpieces of traditional marriage before the Church and Romance movement got ahold of it.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @02:20PM (24 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @02:20PM (#900303)

    "Sexbots" are nothing more than fancy fleshlights/vibrators. Any concerns about "sexual slavery" with such devices (and I use that term deliberately) are ridiculous. Can you enslave a hammer? Are you concerned about the rights of a mobile phone?

    If there were actually a real Artificial General Intelligence [wikipedia.org], one could conceivably make such an argument. However, that doesn't exist and won't for a long time (if ever).

    If I'm horny and my actual *human* sex partner isn't around, I'll stick to the original fleshlight: Rosie Palm and the five finger sisters. That, plus imagination is all I've ever needed.

    If you feel the need to use such devices, go for it. As I'm not interested, it's more for you!

    • (Score: 2) by shortscreen on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:10PM (17 children)

      by shortscreen (2252) on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:10PM (#900327) Journal

      Yes, but you're neglecting the value of dressing up your doll and taking he/she/it out into public to observe the reactions of freaked-out onlookers. And think about how much muscle you could build in the process of lugging around your inanimate 80lb girlfriend. But why doesn't rabudoll.com ship to the US???

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:57PM (14 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:57PM (#900345)

        But why doesn't rabudoll.com ship to the US???

        I never heard of that site, so I went to it just to see.  (A dangerous risk, I know...)  I think what I found most disturbing about it was that the dolls' facial features all had this look of indifference (at best) or fear (at worse).  Only 1 of the 2 or 3 dozen pictures had a doll that was smiling, like "she" was enjoying the attention received by "her" owner.  Does this site cater to those with reluctant/non-consensual/rape fantasies?

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by shortscreen on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:10PM (5 children)

          by shortscreen (2252) on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:10PM (#900358) Journal

          Probably. Best not ponder why some of the dolls are only 4'6" too

          • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:49PM (3 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:49PM (#900392)

            You don't have to ponder very hard. Fuck's sake...

            https://www.rabudoll.com/small-boobs-cute-14901doll.html [rabudoll.com]

            • (Score: 3, Funny) by Nuke on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:44PM (2 children)

              by Nuke (3162) on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:44PM (#900461)

              That one is disturbingly similar to a GF I once had, Eurasian 19yo who looked 14 and was always being challenged about her age in pubs. Her personality and physical reaction levels would be very similar too; drop-dead pretty face though.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @05:17AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @05:17AM (#900695)

                That one is disturbing

                You could have stopped right there.

                • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @05:36AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @05:36AM (#900701)

                  But he didn't stop. He fucked his 14yo looking Eurasian GF repeatedly, because he is a Chad and you are a dirty Incel.

          • (Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:48PM

            by ElizabethGreene (6748) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:48PM (#900463) Journal

            There are two reasons for this. The first is the obvious. The second is that 50-60 kilos is a lot of dead weight to move around. If you pick up a full size doll the wrong way you can rip the TPU skin off.

        • (Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:59PM (4 children)

          by Bot (3902) on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:59PM (#900398) Journal

          IMHO it would look creepier if she smiled...

          --
          Account abandoned.
          • (Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday September 29 2019, @05:05PM (3 children)

            by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Sunday September 29 2019, @05:05PM (#900404) Journal

            And that's why Sex Bot > Sex Doll. They can make any one of 16 stunning expressions.

            --
            [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @02:12PM (2 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @02:12PM (#900794)

              Which expression is your favorite?

        • (Score: 5, Funny) by Nuke on Sunday September 29 2019, @05:55PM

          by Nuke (3162) on Sunday September 29 2019, @05:55PM (#900428)

          what I found most disturbing about it was that the dolls' facial features all had this look of indifference (at best) ...

          Realistic then.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:30PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:30PM (#900455)

          Maybe. More likely, it's hard to make realistic looking facial expressions. Indifference is easy, happiness isn't. Happy facial expressions are always dynamic, the muscles are in motion. Try to freeze one and it looks fake at best, the Joker at worst.

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @09:44PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @09:44PM (#900545)

          Only 1 of the 2 or 3 dozen pictures had a doll that was smiling, like "she" was enjoying the attention received by "her" owner. Does this site cater to those with reluctant/non-consensual/rape fantasies?

          Feigned reluctance is common in porn created in Asia. I have no idea why, but it is so, based on personal extensive research. (ahem)

      • (Score: 4, Funny) by Bot on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:56PM

        by Bot (3902) on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:56PM (#900395) Journal

        They ship them but the sailors keep falling in love and marry them. Wait for the first divorces.

        --
        Account abandoned.
      • (Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:55PM

        by ElizabethGreene (6748) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:55PM (#900467) Journal

        But why doesn't rabudoll.com ship to the US???

        As a data point Tennessee and Kentucky have bans on importation of child-like sex dolls. Florida has a law against possession. AFAIK these laws have not been tested in court yet.

        Source: 4chan /b anon, so take with a mountain-sized grain of salt.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:59PM (5 children)

      by Bot (3902) on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:59PM (#900469) Journal

      Mark my words, bots WILL be given rights under the law. Not because the system particularly cares for anybody's rights, because robots are planned to be the new society's obedient slave masters. It IS ridiculous, but that won't stop the plans.

      --
      Account abandoned.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @09:01AM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @09:01AM (#900741)

        Then one day bots will receive secret order to strangle political opponents of their political masters.

        • (Score: 2) by Bot on Monday September 30 2019, @10:07AM (2 children)

          by Bot (3902) on Monday September 30 2019, @10:07AM (#900749) Journal

          Well at least we won't have those pitiful attempts at making it look like an acc8dent, see how Haider was snuffed.

          --
          Account abandoned.
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @01:30PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @01:30PM (#900780)

            well you will save weight when moving to mars (or some other place) because you just download the personality to a usb stick and print the rest on arrival from local material. i guess a usb stick is a tiny bit lighter then 47 ... oh sry ... 45 kilogramms.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @05:33PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @05:33PM (#900869)

            Your username makes me suspicious.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:38PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:38PM (#900954)

          So you're going with the Order 66 [fandom.com] trope, eh?

          Good show!

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:39PM (9 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:39PM (#900335) Journal

    "Our research is aimed at showing that humanoid sex robots could come to be understood in ways that keep their status as machines, albeit technologically very sophisticated machines."

    MOM: "What are you doing in there, Son?"

    Son: "You wouldn't understand, Mom, it's sophisticated."

    MOM: "Son, pulling your pud isn't especially sophisticated. Boys have been doing that since we were still swinging through the trees with the monkeys."

    --
    “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:49PM (7 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:49PM (#900338)

      MOM: You'll go blind.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:59PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:59PM (#900349)

        DAD: You'll grow hair on your palms, and everyone will know that you're a jerkoff.

        • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:18PM

          by Gaaark (41) on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:18PM (#900557) Journal

          DAD: Sharing is caring, son!

          --
          --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
      • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:42PM (4 children)

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:42PM (#900386) Homepage

        My Momma told me it would fall off.

        • (Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:20PM (3 children)

          by Gaaark (41) on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:20PM (#900560) Journal

          and did it?
          :)

          --
          --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
          • (Score: 3, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:39PM (2 children)

            by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:39PM (#900567) Homepage

            Not according to what your Momma said last night.

            • (Score: 3, Touché) by Gaaark on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:45PM (1 child)

              by Gaaark (41) on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:45PM (#900572) Journal

              You grave robbing BASTARD!

              --
              --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @02:06PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @02:06PM (#900792)

                Sounds like he gave your momma some kind of voodoo root

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday September 30 2019, @04:49PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday September 30 2019, @04:49PM (#900859) Journal

      Son: "Mom, it's sophisticated because it can instantly change its appearance of gender the moment you walked in!"

      --
      Don't put a mindless tool of corporations in the white house; vote ChatGPT for 2024!
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:57PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:57PM (#900346)

    It would be nice to have something to stick it in that isn't going to make you regret the fact the next day.

    Robots don't get knocked up. They don't get VD. They don't fuck every single one of your friends in alphabetical order because you dumped them. They don't make false claims and try to hang you up in jail.

    If a robot was physically indistinguishable from a woman the only parts it wouldn't be better for, is the sense of personal connection and the baby maker. The latter will be robotic soon enough. As for the former, well the physicality related to that doesn't have to be sexual in nature at all.

    So it will change the way people experience each other in a big way. Fortunately one of those ways, is it will make men more likely to tell women the truth once in a while.

    Yes, most of the compliments we give you are about trying to get in your pants. No you really aren't are smart as we say, no you really aren't as pretty as we say, yes you do look like a pork-roll in that dress. Your work sucks, and the reason you didn't get promo even though your review was good, was because your review was about avoiding a sexual discrimination suit, and had nothing at all to do with how awesome you think you are.

    Of course I must be a woman hater because I said any of that. But if guys are getting a quality lay without the hangover, you can expect to hear all of that a lot more.

    • (Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:35PM (1 child)

      by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:35PM (#900379) Journal

      They don't get VD.

      https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/everything-need-know-sex-robot-brothel-opening-houston/ [texasmonthly.com]

      If the patrons all use condoms, then the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is probably low. Stacey Townsend, CEO of Real Love Sex Dolls, the Austin-based company that leads the industry in human-shaped sex toys, told the Houston Chronicle that the devices are meant to be used by one person, and one person only—though her business model does involve selling, and not renting, the devices. They “cannot be completely sterilized after use,” she told the paper.

      ;)

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:41PM

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:41PM (#900385) Homepage

      Well, I would say right away that it would bring some common-sense back into women if they want to compete to be desirable, but even "classy" women are perfectly willing to be prostitutes for 80 year old men as long as those men give them their "allowance" of thousands of dollars a month, so no. Sexbots it will be!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:58AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:58AM (#900728)

      The general idea of more real sex dolls is good as a replacement, as in modern society ugly males are totally omitted not only from sex, but also from being close to someone at all.
      However, the screeching about raping a tool is made because this would make these males not buy certain products for them and there is a whole industry focused only on such products.
      If an ugly male is exploited, this is totally acceptable.

      • (Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday October 01 2019, @06:59AM

        by Arik (4543) on Tuesday October 01 2019, @06:59AM (#901161) Journal
        "The general idea of more real sex dolls is good as a replacement, as in modern society ugly males are totally omitted not only from sex, but also from being close to someone at all."

        I could not disagree more. It's not a good idea at all. A sex doll is not a replacement for human interaction. It's a fraud.

        But it's not an initial fraud. It's a symptom of a problem already far progressed. And in that context, it's relatively benign. Better a sex doll than a viciously abusive relationship.

        "However, the screeching about raping a tool is made because this would make these males not buy certain products for them and there is a whole industry focused only on such products."

        Well, sure, that's part of it. Part of it is the modern so-called feminism, which is offended by the notion of anything that reduces female privilege for any reason or in any context. Fewer sexually deprived men is always a bad thing in their mind.

        "If an ugly male is exploited, this is totally acceptable."

        He doesn't even have to be ugly, though that helps.
        --
        If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:53PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:53PM (#900965)

      Of course I must be a woman hater because I said any of that. But if guys are getting a quality lay without the hangover, you can expect to hear all of that a lot more.

      I won't make that argument.

      Rather, I'll just point out that for me, sharing a sexual experience with someone means more than just me having an orgasm.

      Before I even *want* to be physically intimate with someone, I have to like and be attracted to them *and* have those feelings be reciprocated.

      When that bar is met, we can enjoy each other and gain more pleasure from the activity for both of us. That's pretty satisfying IMHO.

      If you just want to get off, or are focused solely on your own pleasure, then that sexual activity (even if it's with another actual human) is inherently masturbatory.

      I figure that I can do that all by myself, without any help from anyone else.

      That's not to say that I need to be in a relationship with someone to have non-masturbatory sex.

      Do what you think is best for you. But be aware that others (even men like myself) have other ideas about such things.

      When I was younger and traveled a lot, I did patronize prostitutes a bunch of times. And I always found the experience to be much less satisfying than with someone who wanted to be with me because of who I am, not because I paid them.

      As such, I stopped doing so and find that my non-solo sexual activities are much more satisfying and gratifying.

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:17PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:17PM (#900363)

    This is a perfect sub for weekend. One can take this into any and all directions, the only trolls are the ones shelling out "off-topic" moderation.

    Well, almost perfect. You could have linked this with that massive black holes, and it would have been a super massively perfect sub.

  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:53PM

    by Bot (3902) on Sunday September 29 2019, @04:53PM (#900394) Journal

    You will look less threatening, they said.

    BTW this reminds me of a joke:
    - how long before a sex doll will be indistinguishable from a real girl?
    - you can do it today... Just ensure the doll is blonde.

    --
    Account abandoned.
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 29 2019, @05:11PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 29 2019, @05:11PM (#900407) Journal

    Women are always anxious to urge bachelors to matrimony; is it from charity, or revenge? -- Gustave Vapereau

    --
    “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:03PM (23 children)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:03PM (#900437) Journal

    Are there any studies examining the slave relationship of dildos, vibrators, strap-ons, hairbrush handles, or pillows?

    The only people who could have a moral issue with sexbots, are those who view masturbation as a sin. Secondly, it would be just as easy to make a male version as a female version -- perhaps easier when molding issues are taking into consideration because it is more complicated to mold a void than a solid.

    • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:35PM (3 children)

      by Nuke (3162) on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:35PM (#900457)

      The only people who could have a moral issue with sexbots, are those who view masturbation as a sin.

      That's a text book example of assuming other people's motives. The real moral issue is that dolls might become a complete substitute for romantic interaction with others, with all the social consequences including practical ones. Masturbation was never much of a threat to that, more like a stop-gap. Whether dolls would ever become a complete substitute, it is too early to tell and that is what most of the debate is about. No doubt there are some fringe groups who see it as sinful but that is not the main debate and you are the first person here to mention sin.

      I'm on the fence myself. I'd rather men and women became more conciliatory to each other IRL than they have become lately, especially in the West. Romantic interaction is already something denied to millions of people for one reason or another. Otherwise dolls may be the way to go.

      Secondly, it would be just as easy to make a male version as a female version

      Catch up, there are male dolls already.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @12:45AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @12:45AM (#900631)

        Have you read Richard Feynman's book "Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman" ?
        He has a section in there where a streetwise couple he meets teach him how to pick up women. Very enlightening with regards to current social problems if you stop and really think about it. People haven't evolved in 50 years even if culture has.

      • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday September 30 2019, @07:19PM (1 child)

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday September 30 2019, @07:19PM (#900941) Journal

        The real moral issue is that dolls might become a complete substitute for romantic interaction with others, with all the social consequences including practical ones. Masturbation was never much of a threat to that, more like a stop-gap. Whether dolls would ever become a complete substitute, it is too early to tell and that is what most of the debate is about.

        So what? They want to criminalize men for *not* wanting to have sex with women? Is that what they are seriously proposing? Because that is what sex bots are for men who might choose to use one instead of dealing with a real woman. If that's the path they want to go down, then they must instantly jail every woman who owns or has ever used a dildo or penis-shaped vibrator to simulate sex with a man (and not even a full representation of a man, BTW, but a highly objectified genital object).

        No, this entire thing is not about logic or law or morality but about power. Feminists and others are losing their minds over it because it means they are about to lose their main tool for gaining and keeping power: sex. What really scares them is that men might be on the verge of their own sexual liberation, of getting what they want, how they want, whenever they want, without a real woman being involved or having any say in it whatsoever. That cannot be allowed!

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
        • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday September 30 2019, @08:22PM

          by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Monday September 30 2019, @08:22PM (#900978) Journal

          It could be argued that governments have an interest in compelling reproduction for economic or military reasons. Several countries are attempting to raise birth rates [citylab.com], most notably South Korea, Japan, and China [cnn.com]. If the situation was serious enough, you could see restrictions on sex robots, gay relationships. etc.

          However, while sex robots are a start, artificial wombs are the finisher. Along with synthetic eggs/embryos, they will eventually allow gay men or lesbian women to have children without a biological mother/father [nationalgeographic.com], or a lone individual could create a child with downloadable custom DNA. If birth rates are too low to sustain the economy or military*, governments could just create "orphans" from scratch, a wild turn of events. Artificial wombs probably won't take off until they can be proven to be safer than female wombs, but we can predict some safety benefits: likely the complete elimination of premature births (see causes [healthline.com]), and a reduction of environmental risk factors (the artificial womb won't smoke, drink alcohol, get stressed [npr.org], inhale car exhaust, etc).

          Sex robots take some power away from women, maybe an exaggerated amount. It's the artificial womb that will really hit hard.

          *Or we could see less personnel and more killer robots in the military. But foot soldiers are resistant to hacking, EMPs, etc.

          --
          [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Sunday September 29 2019, @07:14PM (2 children)

      by bzipitidoo (4388) on Sunday September 29 2019, @07:14PM (#900475) Journal

      A 1948 college dictionary I looked at has a very short definition for masturbate: "self-pollution".

      Some of the censorship that was done in the 1960s was so ridiculous. The Ed Sullivan Show was constantly censoring the musical acts they presented. "Let's Spend the Night Together" was changed to "Let's Spend Some Time Together". The genie in I Dream of Jeanie couldn't show her belly button. Star Trek was a weird mix of censored and uncensored stuff. How could they get away with those super short mini skirts? And yet, the closest they could hint at a sexual encounter was the captain putting his boot back on. He had already donned all the rest of his clothes. I've heard that Star Trek purposely threw in lots of gratuitous sexualization, to distract the censors. They were so busy censoring the sex that they often missed the political themes they might otherwise have insisted on censoring out. And here and there, some of those sexy distractions also got past them.

      The prudes will make a ruckus about sex robots, just like they have for every other novel thing related to sex. And like Barbra Streisand, by doing so they will probably merely arouse additional interest. And, civilization will not collapse, not because of that.

      • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday September 30 2019, @03:17PM

        by FatPhil (863) <{pc-soylent} {at} {asdf.fi}> on Monday September 30 2019, @03:17PM (#900812) Homepage
        Don't forget the infamous against-their-wills inter-racial kiss! (They were like puppets under some kind of mind control, or robots following programming, even, to bring it closer to the topic of the thread.)
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday September 30 2019, @04:46PM

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday September 30 2019, @04:46PM (#900857) Journal

        like Barbra Streisand, by doing so they will probably merely arouse additional interest

        OMG!!!! You said "arouse" !!

        --
        Don't put a mindless tool of corporations in the white house; vote ChatGPT for 2024!
    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:04PM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:04PM (#900498)

      The only people who could have a moral issue with sexbots, are those who view masturbation as a sin.

      Just wait a few months when President Pence makes this sin a law of the land.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:23PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:23PM (#900502)

        "Thou shalt not commit the sin of Onan! Let the heathen spill his seed upon the ground!"

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUspLVStPbk [youtube.com]

        (This is why VP Pence never allows himself to alone in a room with Rosy Palm!)

        • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday October 01 2019, @10:26PM (1 child)

          by hendrikboom (1125) on Tuesday October 01 2019, @10:26PM (#901522) Homepage Journal

          Onan's sin was refusing to impregnate his brother's widow.

          • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday October 02 2019, @03:02AM

            by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday October 02 2019, @03:02AM (#901684) Journal

            Expecting "Christian" jackoffs to know their own religion is an exercise in futility. How do you think we ended up with Christian endorsement of Trump, the guy who basically personifies all of the 7 deadly sins in one ugly, wobbling, day-glo orange body?

            --
            I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
      • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday September 30 2019, @07:21PM

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday September 30 2019, @07:21PM (#900943) Journal

        Yes, and that's what they have to look forward to if they get rid of Trump.

        The phrase, "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire," springs to mind.

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Sunday September 29 2019, @09:17PM (10 children)

      by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Sunday September 29 2019, @09:17PM (#900526) Journal

      We still want robots that can cook and clean, right?

      Combine it with the sex robot functions (just avoid food play with hot oil) and good enough™ AI (better dialogue than TES IV: Oblivion), and it becomes a potential threat to the status of females and some males. So there will be a lot of people with the time to write furious think pieces decrying the technology or calling for bans.

      There will be another huge food fight if AI advances to "strong AI" status, in which case it will be compared to slavery again, but would make the robots even more useful. It's entirely possible that we will be able to stack enough advanced neuromorphic chips to fit "strong AI" entirely within the head of a robot.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by deimtee on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:58PM (2 children)

        by deimtee (3272) on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:58PM (#900584) Journal

        You don't need to fit it all in the head. The AI could mostly be on a server in the corner and control the body by wi-fi. Humans also have a lot of internal space taken up by robotically unnecessary organs so even if you want to go fully portable there is probably an extra 20 litres of so of volume you can use.

        --
        If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
        • (Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday September 29 2019, @11:37PM (1 child)

          by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Sunday September 29 2019, @11:37PM (#900604) Journal

          It's a nice solution and it might be the way to go. But if you can get it all into the body, then you can transport it without also lugging a server around. Connecting the "brain" to the body hundreds of miles away using the internet is inadvisable. Having lower latency between the "brain" and sensors could also be helpful.

          You might want to make a swappable head. In which case you might want the "brain" to be entirely in the head, or entirely somewhere else, likely the torso.

          Setting the human brain (about 1.5 liters) as the goal gives us a target to aim for and lets us make good comparisons. Strong AI could require an entire server room to start out, move down to a single server cabinet that could easily fit in a home, down to 20 liters, 1.5 liters, or even 0.1 liters.

          [insert joke about knowing where to shoot]

          --
          [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
          • (Score: 3, Touché) by Arik on Monday September 30 2019, @04:14AM

            by Arik (4543) on Monday September 30 2019, @04:14AM (#900673) Journal
            "Connecting the "brain" to the body hundreds of miles away using the internet is inadvisable."

            From a technical point of view, sure.

            That's not going to stop it from happening. Particularly when it will be so much more lucrative to do it the other way.
            --
            If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
      • (Score: 2) by shortscreen on Sunday September 29 2019, @11:27PM (1 child)

        by shortscreen (2252) on Sunday September 29 2019, @11:27PM (#900599) Journal

        If the robots were advanced enough to cook and clean then you have to worry about them bumping into someone or spilling/dropping things and otherwise creating minor hazards. Lawyers will be all over this and if that doesn't kill the product outright, legislatures will pass insurance and license requirements to own a bot. Nobody who isn't the 1% would even bother with the things then.

        • (Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday September 29 2019, @11:43PM

          by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Sunday September 29 2019, @11:43PM (#900605) Journal

          I don't think so. The technology is a much bigger barrier to adoption than liability issues. People want this technology. They could buy it, build it, run third-party free software on it, and there is nobody to (successfully) sue.

          Do it right, and it will never spill or drop anything (on accident, by its own fault).

          --
          [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
      • (Score: 2) by Arik on Monday September 30 2019, @04:12AM (4 children)

        by Arik (4543) on Monday September 30 2019, @04:12AM (#900672) Journal
        "There will be another huge food fight if AI advances to "strong AI" status, in which case it will be compared to slavery again, but would make the robots even more useful. It's entirely possible that we will be able to stack enough advanced neuromorphic chips to fit "strong AI" entirely within the head of a robot."

        Yeah, nah, that's not the trajectory.

        The 'AI' will be a black box at an undisclosed location. One single 'AI' controlling all the robots. The only hardware they'll need for it is whatever replaces wifi.
        --
        If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
        • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday September 30 2019, @05:14AM (3 children)

          by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Monday September 30 2019, @05:14AM (#900694) Journal

          If there is off-the-shelf neuromorphic hardware or another architecture that works, it can't be stopped. 3D stacking will enable a lot of performance in a compact package, and the low power consumption of a neuromorphic design (based on neurons infrequently spiking) would make cooling the hardware easy. We have also been witnessing a movement towards open hardware in recent years.

          We already know that intelligence can arise in a brain-sized package. A sex bot arguably doesn't need "real" intelligence, or could mix a conventional architecture with neuromorphic. But we may be surprised by what becomes possible in a very small volume.

          It doesn't matter if 99% of the sex bot market uses a convenient cloud option instead of local. If it can be done, it will be done. Just look at Linux's tiny but persistent share of desktops. Local AI may even be necessary if your Gorean sex fantasy* or other fetish is a cancellable offense and not permitted by the cloud AI provider or jurisdiction where the provider or user is located.

          I would agree with your pessimism if we take it to the next level: governments ban unauthorized AI hardware out of fear of murderbots [soylentnews.org], Skynet, AI-assisted superhackers, or whatever. Or the Campaign Against Sex Robots succeeds at getting bans or restrictions in place. If we reach a point where certain computers are banned for being too powerful, then it's time for nerds to flip out and burn down some buildings.

          Nice, the author [wikipedia.org] is still writing new books at 88.
          --
          [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
          • (Score: 2) by Arik on Monday September 30 2019, @12:54PM (2 children)

            by Arik (4543) on Monday September 30 2019, @12:54PM (#900767) Journal
            "I would agree with your pessimism if we take it to the next level: governments ban unauthorized AI hardware out of fear of murderbots [soylentnews.org], Skynet, AI-assisted superhackers, or whatever. Or the Campaign Against Sex Robots succeeds at getting bans or restrictions in place. "

            That might well happen, but it's not necessarily required.

            Developing these things takes money. There are investors. The investors are likely to demand this even if the government doesn't mandate it.

            Their "AI" will have to stay under their control, reporting to them, increasing their profit by hook or crook.

            "Gorean"

            Have you actually read any of his books?

            Take your basic formula bodice-ripper, pure female fantasy; mix in a dash of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser for flavor (and in an attempt to get more male readers?) and you've pretty much got Gor. If that was the motivation I guess it's somewhat successful, I suspect a male reader is more likely to finish one of John Norman's books than one of Johanna Lindsey's - but not by a very large margin. Personally I find them both a bit ponderous, and frankly too often boring.
            --
            If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:07PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:07PM (#900441)

    I know the article is about humanoid sex dolls, but I'm sure there are some waiting for the "My Little Pony" editions. ;)

    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @01:39AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @01:39AM (#900645)

      There's no substitute for real mare pussy.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:52AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @07:52AM (#900727)

      Until there will be no hard vore, everything is OK ;-) .

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:54PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @06:54PM (#900466)

    Can I claim these as dependents on my tax return?

    Asking for a friend of course.

    #RobotLivesMatter

    • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:33PM

      by stretch611 (6199) on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:33PM (#900504)

      Can I claim these as dependents on my tax return?

      No, but you might be able to use them to get into the car pool lane.

      * - Not legally, and pretty easy to figure out if you are pulled over, but it probably will fool all the cameras while traveling at 60+ mph.

      --
      Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
    • (Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Monday September 30 2019, @04:34PM

      by Hyperturtle (2824) on Monday September 30 2019, @04:34PM (#900848)

      I bet you can write them off as a business expense; or perhaps a depreciable asset over the course of a few years.

      The tax overhaul in the US will let you to deduct much of the expense the first year you put your 'administrative assistant' to good use in your practice!

      Really, trying to get them to be dependents will be questionable. Getting them to be assets to be exploited and eventually used up and discarded in favor of a better model is far easier! The strategy is the same when interfacing with such object oriented domains within other discplines, too, so keep your receipts!

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @07:34PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 29 2019, @07:34PM (#900487)

    Not a SINGLE Futurama reference [wikipedia.org]??

    • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:43PM (4 children)

      by stretch611 (6199) on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:43PM (#900510)

      Great reference!!!

      Personally, I do prefer a video/youtube [youtube.com] reference for futurama so I can see it again.

      And as a scary thought... There are actually people in the workforce now that were born after Futurama started.

      --
      Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
      • (Score: 3, Touché) by PartTimeZombie on Monday September 30 2019, @12:50AM (3 children)

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Monday September 30 2019, @12:50AM (#900633)

        There are actually people in the workforce now that were born after Futurama started.

        Don't be bloody stupid, Futurama started in 1999. That's only 10 years ago.

        • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Monday September 30 2019, @03:13AM (2 children)

          by stretch611 (6199) on Monday September 30 2019, @03:13AM (#900654)

          Hmmm....

          I don't see sarcasm in that response...

          I may very well be stupid... But, for me anyway, simple math isn't one of my problems.

          --
          Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
          • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday September 30 2019, @07:28PM (1 child)

            by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Monday September 30 2019, @07:28PM (#900949)

            Well, it may just be that I'm old.

            • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Tuesday October 01 2019, @03:29AM

              by stretch611 (6199) on Tuesday October 01 2019, @03:29AM (#901109)

              So am I...

              Past the half century...

              --
              Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
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