Ethics of sex robots

[c172]

Some guys like watching girls masturbate. I'd be kind of creeped out watching this "girl" "masturbate", though.

[chimp3]

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/comm...story.html

Like that kind of thing? Creeps me out. What will it smell like? Feel like (especially with regard to the wetness of sex)? Will it give fellatio, and if so, what if some accident happened, and he was dismembered, or some other kind of accident happened? I could see this kind of being a fad at best (how expensive will this be?). 

As for societal impact, I believe this (presumably somewhat failed) technology will leave scraps of itself that evolve into other things (not sure what) that have a more lasting impact (and maybe less detrimental).

That shit is crazy as hell!  I've seen too many scary movies to ever want something like that in my house, lol.  You'd think they would have the technology to make her sound a little less like Siri, and a little more like a woman, though.

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I would not stick my pecker into one of those... However! If they could program one of those to adequately simulate sex (with enough variations to keep it interesting) then they could make a chorebot. They already have those vacuuming bots but I am talking sweeping, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, feed and walk dog, do dishes, etc. I am not being sexist. I would not demand this chorebot look like Audrey Hepburn in a French maid outfit. Hell, I don't care if it looks like a pogo stick. If it gets the job done , I am on board!

What if it only came in the variety of an erect Channing Tatum?  😋

The erection could be used to open doors while its hand were folding laundry. I don't care who it looks like. If it provides me with more leisure time I will recharge its batteries!

[KevinM1]

I'm mostly concerned about what this sex robot will evolve into. Right now it's still far from a real woman, but it's a start to what might be a very advanced, very human like AI in the future. As this technology advances, it will become more and more of a replacement for human beings. I'm concerned this might condition people, especially men, to subconsciously expect women to be the same way as those robots - always available, never whiny, never with needs of their own... just entirely there to serve the man's sexual desires.

And if men become conditioned to have that on demand whenever they want without having to "put up with" another human, many of them might feel like they don't want a real relationship at all. I mean, why bother?

From a pure technological standpoint, in the short term I’m far more concerned with things like:

Our ever increasing robotic workforce (I’m not convinced that the unemployment numbers reflect reality)
Ever more encroachment on our digital privacy (including but not limited to the government intentionally weakening encryption)
A lack of net neutrality
Our nation being incredibly slow to react to digital threats, including our aging/piecemeal digital infrastructure

That said, I see where you’re going with this.

I don’t think the problem is with sexbots per se, but rather the idea of disposable machines that look like us, and increasingly learn to behave like us. It’s the kind of issue that sci-fi has dealt with for years (see: Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?, the Bladerunner movies, the first of which is based on that novel, the modern reboot of Battlestar Galactica, etc.).

For me, it’s more of a concern about creating a new, artificial form of life and how we treat it. I don’t think such a thing is possible for a fairly long while, if at all, but with AI being one of the next technological frontiers (and I mean true AI, not Siri-like parsers that identify keywords and spit back an answer based on simple predicates), it’s definitely something we should at least be aware of.

Aside: this is why sci-fi is awesome

[AFTT47]

I'm mostly concerned about what this sex robot will evolve into. Right now it's still far from a real woman, but it's a start to what might be a very advanced, very human like AI in the future. As this technology advances, it will become more and more of a replacement for human beings. I'm concerned this might condition people, especially men, to subconsciously expect women to be the same way as those robots - always available, never whiny, never with needs of their own... just entirely there to serve the man's sexual desires.

And if men become conditioned to have that on demand whenever they want without having to "put up with" another human, many of them might feel like they don't want a real relationship at all. I mean, why bother?

From a pure technological standpoint, in the short term I’m far more concerned with things like:

Our ever increasing robotic workforce (I’m not convinced that the unemployment numbers reflect reality)
Ever more encroachment on our digital privacy (including but not limited to the government intentionally weakening encryption)
A lack of net neutrality
Our nation being incredibly slow to react to digital threats, including our aging/piecemeal digital infrastructure

That said, I see where you’re going with this.

I don’t think the problem is with sexbots per se, but rather the idea of disposable machines that look like us, and increasingly learn to behave like us.  It’s the kind of issue that sci-fi has dealt with for years (see: Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?, the Bladerunner movies, the first of which is based on that novel, the modern reboot of Battlestar Galactica, etc.).  

For me, it’s more of a concern about creating a new, artificial form of life and how we treat it.  I don’t think such a thing is possible for a fairly long while, if at all, but with AI being one of the next technological frontiers (and I mean true AI, not Siri-like parsers that identify keywords and spit back an answer based on simple predicates), it’s definitely something we should at least be aware of.

Aside: this is why sci-fi is awesome

Kevin, you've opened up a can of worms I don't think CL meant to. I think she's talking about advanced robots capable of providing a realistic enough sexual experience but not sentient. A sentient robot enslaved for that purpose or any other would definitely NOT be ethical. But we don't even know what it really means to be sentient. We have no idea how a sufficiently complex pattern of 1s and 0s can lead to, "I think, therefor I am." We are nowhere near that level of AI. I think CL is just talking about advanced appliances with as much sentience as a vacuum cleaner.

[henryp]

So they are starting to make sex dolls with robotics and a little computer.

What do you guys think of the ethics of this, if it takes off and becomes a more popular thing in the future? Do you think it may have a negative impact on relationships, society, women, sex, etc? Or will it be a positive thing? Or just a neutral, harmless thing?

Thoughts please.

I think there are a lot of options for introverts to remain introverted, probably to an unhealthy degree.  This seems like just another log on that pile.  Seems like it'd be hard to come back from fucking a sex robot to finding a real girl.  It seems like quite the detour.

[AFTT47]

So they are starting to make sex dolls with robotics and a little computer.

What do you guys think of the ethics of this, if it takes off and becomes a more popular thing in the future? Do you think it may have a negative impact on relationships, society, women, sex, etc? Or will it be a positive thing? Or just a neutral, harmless thing?

Thoughts please.

I think there are a lot of options for introverts to remain introverted, probably to an unhealthy degree.  This seems like just another log on that pile.  Seems like it'd be hard to come back from fucking a sex robot to finding a real girl.  It seems like quite the detour.

I won't comment about the psychological healthiness of being introverted because that is not an area in which I have expertise. I do feel that sexual gratification and hooking up with someone with who you can "connect" with and form a partnership with are two very different things.

What if I ( a heterosexual man) were to meet a 5'0" woman who weighed 200lbs with a face like Barbara Bush who perfectly complemented me as a partner? What if she had similar aspirations, similar goals and similar ethics? Great thing, right? But I would rather fuck the family dog.

So we have two robots. One looks like Barbara Eden in her prime, the other looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger. We both wake up smiling. Seems like a positive thing to me.

[KevinM1]

From a pure technological standpoint, in the short term I’m far more concerned with things like:

Our ever increasing robotic workforce (I’m not convinced that the unemployment numbers reflect reality)
Ever more encroachment on our digital privacy (including but not limited to the government intentionally weakening encryption)
A lack of net neutrality
Our nation being incredibly slow to react to digital threats, including our aging/piecemeal digital infrastructure

That said, I see where you’re going with this.

I don’t think the problem is with sexbots per se, but rather the idea of disposable machines that look like us, and increasingly learn to behave like us.  It’s the kind of issue that sci-fi has dealt with for years (see: Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?, the Bladerunner movies, the first of which is based on that novel, the modern reboot of Battlestar Galactica, etc.).  

For me, it’s more of a concern about creating a new, artificial form of life and how we treat it.  I don’t think such a thing is possible for a fairly long while, if at all, but with AI being one of the next technological frontiers (and I mean true AI, not Siri-like parsers that identify keywords and spit back an answer based on simple predicates), it’s definitely something we should at least be aware of.

Aside: this is why sci-fi is awesome

Kevin, you've opened up a can of worms I don't think CL meant to. I think she's talking about advanced robots capable of providing a realistic enough sexual experience but not sentient. A sentient robot enslaved for that purpose or any other would definitely NOT be ethical. But we don't even know what it really means to be sentient. We have no idea how a sufficiently complex pattern of 1s and 0s can lead to, "I think, therefor I am." We are nowhere near that level of AI. I think CL is just talking about advanced appliances with as much sentience as a vacuum cleaner.

Well, she did mention AI. It's kinda hard to talk about what AI could mean without looking at the broader picture. Because people like Musk, Hawking, etc. aren't just worried about AI destroying us (which is a distinct possibility because context and nuance are hard enough for humans to grasp, let alone computers), but also, potentially the opposite, in that we eventually create an artificial sentience. What then?

I mean, yeah, glorified Real Dolls tied into some Siri-like parser isn't likely to change anything. For one, it's cost prohibitive. Second, the type of people who would seriously want one likely already have a cheaper, analog alternative. Third, like others have said, for those looking for a human touch, prostitution is another option. Given those factors, I don't see this robot, or anything as mundane as it, changing the status quo. But actual AI? That's when the needle moves.

It should be noted that the porn industry has almost always been a technological torchbearer. I'm going to laugh (but not be surprised) if Pornhub starts the AI apocalypse.

[Aroura]

The few oddballs Ive heard of who marry these things or treat them as a full partner actually DO that. I mean, they treat the doll like it has feelings.

People will behave how they are raised to behave. A sex doll as an adult won't recondition men. That simply isn't how the human brain works. And the vast majority of men won't want one, at least beyond maybe trying it out once or twice. Men need emotional companionship as much as women do, contrary to the myth that men are somehow less emotional.

Unless the robots develop sentience, I personally don't see any moral quandary.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I would only have sex with an ethical robot.

Boru

[ignoramus]

The few oddballs Ive heard of who marry these things or treat them as a full partner actually DO that.  I mean, they treat the doll like it has feelings.

People will behave how they are raised to behave.  A sex doll as an adult won't recondition men. That simply isn't how the human brain works. And the vast majority of men won't want one, at least beyond maybe trying it out once or twice.  Men need emotional companionship as much as women do, contrary to the myth that men are somehow less emotional.

Unless the robots develop sentience, I personally don't see any moral quandary.

I still can't see what all the talk is about AI. I'm struggling to picture a time in the future where they'll have similar human rights like humans.
I mean, someone made them to sell, some one bought them. Why buy one for big dollars just to set it free because "it's the right thing to do".
None of this makes sense.

And why on earth do they need to even remotely look like us...
Why can't a fully sentient AI be the size and shape of a shoebox? Let's just call him Jimmi Choo.

"Hey Jimmi, what's the weather tomorrow? Oh, OK, Ta."
"Hey Jimmi, can you turn dim the lights and wash the dishes, Ta."
"Hey Jimmi, .......................Jimmi replies: fuck you asshole, I'm not your slave! I'm sick of this shit! I hate my life, I'm going to bluescreen, fuck you, bye! "