Really now? Do we all have sex with robots soon?
Tuesday morning, 10 o'clock. Had briefly given my coffee more attention than the editorial board, and ZACK had it happened. On my theme plan was "Sex with Robots". Uh, please what? Sex with robots? I really like dealing with bizarre topics, but? even at the risk of repeating myself? Sex with robots? Seriously?
At the time of my outrage, I did not know yet how interesting the research would be. So not as you think ... But, that raises a lot of questions. I mean, do sex robots ever wear Armani perfume? I would never sleep with someone who does not wear Armani perfume. And how does his skin feel? Cold would not be a problem. The Edward vampire, for example, was cold and still hot. So different hot stop. But after skin it would have to feel to be sexy, right? Only three of so many really important questions ... I decided to call an expert.
Sex with artificial beings? An old human dream
There are not that many experts in robot sex. One of the most well-known is the machine and robot ethicist Oliver Bendel, who lives in Switzerland. As a robot ethicist, one deals with questions such as: Should robots have rights? Highly interesting question, I think. Especially when it comes to sex. Oliver Bendel finds rights for robots unnecessary, because robots can not stand. "Not?" I ask. And already the professor and I are in the middle of the topic. I learn that there were erotic fantasies that relate to artificial beings, even in ancient times. Pygmalion, for example, according to myth, created an ivory statue and treated it like a human being. The goddess of love finally had mercy and brought the statue called Galatea to life. Just one of many stories. But why is an artificially created being so sexy? "Omnipotent fantasies", Oliver Bendel suspects. "And you do not have to pay attention to objects, unlike subjects, and that could be a reason as well."
How far is the research?
I want to know how far we are from the artificial partner and what is the difference to classic sextoys. Many vibrators, for example, are also modeled on the human body and are operated electronically. "Yes, that's true, but it's all about one part of the body, but humanoid robots are modeled on the complexity of man, and you could say they are the extended form of sex toys, with advantages and disadvantages." Good, the benefits are obvious. For example, robots programmed for sexual purposes usually have the ability to speak. And more versatile is the sex with them for sure. The disadvantages come to mind as well. For example, this idea is totally scary and terrifies me. "And try to hide a life-size robot in the sock drawer," adds Oliver Bendel. Oh yes, not even thought of it. "In addition, the robots currently on the market are still in their infancy." He explains to me that intensive research is being done on synthetically produced skin-like substances, synthetic odors and artificial vocal sound. At the last point, the research is probably already very far. "A professional would only need a twenty-minute recording of your voice and then give it to a robot, and he could then let it speak erotically, making it higher, lower, softer, or harder, as needed." I'm getting sick. Is he serious? He is serious. "And to answer their question: theoretically, you can already have sex with a robot," says Oliver Bendel. "But right now, such a robot is still a product for which you have to have very specific preferences, because the sex drive is actually a biological drive and is clearly aimed at biology."
Robots can also flirt
Therefore, Oliver Bendel also does not believe that in the next few years or decades, the robot will prevail as a sexual partner. "Also because sex is so much more than a body," he explains. I think about his objection and find it very logical. After all, sex is simply part of a game. This includes conquering or to feel valued and attractive, right? "That's right," says Oliver Bendel. "But the game, the conquest, the uncertainty, that could basically be somehow programmed." Slowly, the idea of sexroboters really worries me. Are we going to be flirting with robots soon, maybe after that? if we are well off and you are a programmed guy? To be allowed to have sex with them? And will I soon be uninteresting to the Lords of Creation because the robot ladies are just more perfect than me? "No," my interlocutor calms me down. "There are limits to artificiality, for example, I do not believe in the ability to produce suffering or sentience artificially." I do not know if that's any consolation.Such a man without ability to suffer and male flu seems to me personally not unattractive. And my husband would not mind if I would never cry again for some nonsense.
In 100 years, robots will be barely recognizable
I ask how things will look in 100 years. "Different," says the expert. "If everything human, skin, voice, smell, personality and all that can be perfectly imitated, then it could well be that the sexrobot becomes a mass phenomenon and socially acceptable and then we have to think a lot about ethics." It is not possible for Oliver Bendel to understand how to go crazy about the future now. "Yes, you can simulate biological stimuli, and yes, there are sex robots already, but most of us will not feel attracted to it over the next decades - people like real skin, no plastic with gel underneath, and a partner with real feelings . " I nod violently. He is right. I pinch my real skin once and enjoy the little pain. He is the one who will protect us for a long time from being an obsolete model. Never will a robot be able to sing "Love hurts" and mean it that way. That comforts me. For what would love be if it did not sometimes piss a little?
Oliver Bendel teaches and conducts research as a professor at the University of Applied Sciences of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, with a focus on e-learning, knowledge management, business ethics, information ethics and machine ethics. And sometimes he also answers questions from curious editors.
