It’s the topic every sci-fi novel, engineer, and comic-con attendees eventually come across. How human can robots become? Will robots be able to think, or to have emotions one day? Will robots one day do all our jobs, or fight all our wars? Well, those may be coming soon, but in true human fashion, we’re putting all our work into making sure robots will want to sleep with us!
Yes, we’re talking about sex robots. While it sounds like the futuristic fantasy of geeky perverts, they may be closer than you think! According to NBC, there are several companies already developing robots meant for sexual purposes. A California company plans to release a talking, AI sex doll by 2017. There’s also Roxxxy, “the world’s first sexbot,” created by a company called True Companion.
Now, this raises a few ethical questions. What moral implications does having sex with a robot bring? Is it really any worse than masturbating, or using a sex toy? Well, according to several protestors, there are some major detriments to see robots, and they will not stand for them!
NBC reports: Kathleen Richardson, a robot anthropologist and ethicist at De Montfort University in Leicester, U.K., is leading the campaign and warned that sex robots might come in the guise of children, as well as adult women.
“When I first started looking into the subject I thought, ‘oh sex robots, that’s harmless and perhaps these robots would reduce demand for real women and children,'” she told CNBC on Tuesday.
“But then as I researched the subject more I found that the opposite was true—that rather than reduce the objectification of women, children and also men and transgender people, these robots would contribute and reinforce their position in society [as objects].”
She added: “We have the real use of women and children in the real world [as sex objects] and this kind of paraphernalia reinforces that message.”
Not only is there a concern that sex robots will lead to greater objectification of people, but it may cause humans to become more isolated from each other.
Erik Billing, an associate senior lecturer at the School of Informatics in Sweden, has also joined the “Campaign against sex robots.” He told CNBC on Tuesday that he was worried about the as-yet unknown effect sex robots could have on human relationships.
“Already today we have many kinds of sex toys and applications for robots which are great but we’re also beginning to see the introduction of sex robots. There are a lot of worries that we’re introducing this technology on a large scale without looking at what consequences there are on human-to-human relationships,” Billing told CNBC.
I don’t see that as a problem, that’s a benefit! Who would ever choose people over an almost-person that’s programmed to like you? Social awkwardness will cease to exist, because all the socially awkward people will never leave the house! If anything, sex robots will make traffic a lot lighter.
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/campaign-launched-against-harmful-sex-robots-n427751
Maybe We Are Stupid 