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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
(Score: 5, Funny) by Bot on Sunday September 29 2019, @08:37PM
- So, director, we have a grant request for a study on the cultural influx of migrants....
- Who's in charge today, the left or the right?
- The left, sir
- Approved. Next?
- Climate ch...
- Approved. Next?
- Well the usual pranksters tried to slip in an analysis and discussion of sex bots I spotted the fake signatures right away.
- Let us prank them back. Approve it but assign it to that couple of new nerdlings, and request thorough photographic evidence.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:43PM (4 children)
So long as the things aren't self-aware, this will IMO be mostly positive. I'm thinking it will get the incels and the other sickos off our backs a bit, and wondering whether, as creepy and gross as this is, it may be a way to keep pedophiles from becoming actual pedarasts as well. All that goes out the window as soon as strong AI becomes a thing of course.
The one concern I have is that a nontrivial number of people will stall developmentally and become unable to form real relationships with other flesh and blood humans.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @01:12AM (1 child)
Look to Japan for where this is headed: https://www.japancrush.com/2013/stories/30-of-single-japanese-men-have-never-dated-a-woman.html [japancrush.com]
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @02:42AM
(Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Monday September 30 2019, @05:44AM (1 child)
What, like the incels & MGTOWers didn't already exist? ;-)
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday October 02 2019, @02:16AM
I don't mean violent or malicious ones like them, just...well, there was some story I heard about someone in Japan who wanted to marry his DS, or some character in it, or something like that.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 3, Funny) by ilPapa on Monday September 30 2019, @12:38AM
"Humanoid Sex Robots" is the name of my band, so don't you dare try to use it or I'll have my lawyer send a letter. Actually, it'll be my mom sending the letter, but she's seen every episode of Suits and Boston Legal, so watch out.
I've watched every episode of Harvey Birdman, and I'm her paralegal. We are an unstoppable team.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @12:40PM
sex robots will usher in world peace. make love not war; we have been trying for ... forever. leave it to the robots instead.
ofc it will never happen because peace is not profitable.
it is sad, but eating shit or offal or raw roadkill will make you sick. jumping or falling from elevated heights is gonna kill you. going days without water will put you in too. it's all in the "specs" of the human body. one other one is that sex makes you feel good. so we get refridgerators for food, parachutes and ropes for the falling part. containers that store water etc etc ... but the sex part was never solved completely: still lots of "negotiations", "half way" meeting etc etc and mooorrreee etc to be happy.
imagine all that shit required if you would want to take a ... shit. no way sir.
once we get the "lobby profiting from death and destruction" muzzled, people will look back at how we got our kicks from sex and compare it to rubbing two sticks together for fire ...
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday September 30 2019, @04:41PM (3 children)
Suppose a sex robot is better than the real thing. Like sugar is sweeter than natural sugars in vegetables and fruits.
The robot may do a better job than a human partner. Or better than you can do to your self.
The experience may be addictive. Even more than pr0n is said to be addictive. This may lead to inability to perform with a human partner. Even if pr0n were used along with the human partner.
Human populations decline due to attrition / disinterest in reproduction. Sex robots take over the world. VGER planet is end result. Mission accomplished.
Universal health care is so complex that only 32 of 33 developed nations have found a way to make it work.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 30 2019, @05:40PM (1 child)
Drugs are big business.
Where is my LSD making robot?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday September 30 2019, @07:20PM
The big business would have a problem with your 2nd sentence.
It would be in the interest of the big business if the robot merely dispenses rather than manufactures what it dispenses.
Then you go back to big business for refills.
Universal health care is so complex that only 32 of 33 developed nations have found a way to make it work.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday October 02 2019, @03:06AM
That's a concern too: hypernormal stimuli. People already have problems controlling their appetites and something that reaches directly down into the R-complex like this has potential to be seriously addicted.
And, at the same time, it'll still leave them empty, because it can't love them. That's what most people are missing: not just sex, but sex in the context of love.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...