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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, 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."

    --
    A MAN Just Won a Gold Medal for Punching a Woman in the Face
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Funny=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Funny' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (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!"

    --
    Universal health care is so complex that only 32 of 33 developed nations have found a way to make it work.