Technology has been used in so many amazing ways and done some downright cool things to improve the way we live. It has been used on treatments to eradicate cancerous cells, given us the opportunity to go into another world through virtual reality and even just being able to video call your friend from across the world. But sex robots – c’mon now, isn’t that taking it a little too far?

 

A decade ago, men would have joked, “imagine being able to have sex with a robot” – now the joke’s over. Life-like, fully functioning and communicating robots that can orgasm are soon to become a reality. Life-like – yes. A depiction of what a real woman looks like – no. The majority of the robots are designed by men so ofcourse they don’t look like your everyday women walking down the street; more like a hyper-sexualised version, with massive boobs and a tiny waist. The customer can even decide what they want it to look like, from its eye colour down to the colour of its pubic hair! The company Real Botix are taking pre-orders now. The Artificial-Intelligent dolls are being marketed with the slogan, “Be the FIRST to never be lonely again!”.

 

These AI creations could lead to a vast amount of issues from the objectifying cation of women to a rise in sexual assaults. Giving men the opportunity to have sex with something that cannot consent could lead to more men having sexual fantasies about rape. This is especially poignant whilst we’re in the midst of the #metoo era. However, sex historian, Hallie Lieberman, argues that sex robots could be used in a positive way and as a form of sex education. She even believes, if programmed in a certain way, they could be used to prevent rape through teaching men about consent.

 

Lieberman says,‘You could pair students with sex robots and have them interact as if they were at a party and trying to get laid. As they communicate, they would receive detailed feedback in real time. For example, if after asking the bot for permission and kissing her, the student begins to touch the bot’s genitals, then she could be programmed to tell them to stop. She could explain that she hasn’t consented to be touched in that way just because she consented to the kiss.’

 

Let’s face it though– the majority of men won’t want it programmed with this feature, just finding it annoying, or, in some messed-up way, more of a turn-on. Saying that, perhaps they could have a positive impact in some respects. Looking at the recent Toronto mass killing where a 25-year-old, who labelled himself an “incel” (an involuntary celibate), out of spite rammed a van into a crowd of people killing 10 people. From this, people have questioned whether if the killer had the opportunity to have had a sex bot, would it have prevented the tragedy?

 

The big fear is that they could eventually become the norm. The growing industry is a terrifying one – experts predict that by 2050 people will desire marrying a bot, claiming that it would be easier than sustaining a normal and human relationship, with no tears and no hassle. For them to become the norm is something that can’t and shouldn’t happen! Okay, selling one to a lonely 40-year-old virgin is just about acceptable, but it just can’t get to the stage where a man in his twenties, with a high sex drive, has one stored away in his closet for when his girlfriend goes off to work. It needs to stop before it’s too late.