Category Archives: Media

London – Sex – die schönste Nebensache der Welt – ist wohl die intimste Form menschlichen Beisammenseins. Doch in Zukunft könnte der Beischlaf durch Technik ergänzt, bereichert oder sogar ersetzt werden. Darüber haben Forscher am Wochenende auf einem Londoner Kongress diskutiert.

Die unter dem Titel “Love and Sex with Robots” stehende Veranstaltung widmete sich der Frage, ob es in den kommenden Jahren (vielleicht sogar nur noch?!) Sex von Mensch und künstlicher Intelligenz geben wird.

Doch welche Fragen müssten dafür zuvor beantwortet werden?

Ein Forscher hat zum Beispiel den Vorzug eines Roboters betont, der keine Ermüdung und Erschöpfung kenne. Anderseits müsste hinterfragt werden, ob ein Roboter sich allen menschlichen Bedürfnissen hingeben oder er sogar selbst aktiv werden müsse, meinte der Informatiker Oliver Bendel laut heise.de.

David Levy, ein absoluter Experte für Künstliche Intelligenz ist sich sicher, dass Sex mit Robotern Einzug halten und spätestens 2050 Realität sein wird. Vermutlich werkeln bereits mehr Firmen als gedacht an solchen Technologien, meinte er.

Der Traum vieler Hersteller sei eine menschenähnliche Puppe, die mit den Menschen interagieren könne. Ob dazu eine VR-Brille notwendig sei, wird noch getestet. Im Moment werden hauptsächlich menschliche Sexpuppen / Gummipuppen als Nischenprodukt verkauft.

Im Moment werden bereits Technologien ausprobiert, bei denen Menschen über Handys erste Kusserfahrungen sammeln könnten. Die Gesichter der Puppen sind dabei veränderlich berichtet der Daily-Star und zeigt erste Bilder, wie die virtuellen Kuss-Partner aussehen könnten.

Und natürlich bietet die Branche auch Gefahren. Zum Beispiel wenn Menschen ihre verruchten Bedürfnisse an Robotern auslassen und diese dann versuchen, sie in die Realität zu übertragen. Vergessen darf man allerdings nicht:

Selbst wenn der Sex mit dem Roboter noch so befriedigend ist, wird er doch nie die echte körperliche Nähe und Wärme zu einem echten Menschen gleichwertig ersetzen können.

https://www.tag24.de/nachrichten/sex-roboter-welt-gadgets-zukunft-london-kongress-fragen-technik-ethik-194752

Robotics and computer-human interaction is nothing new, and according to a panel of academics who gathered at a two-day conference in London, the technology will eventually advance to levels where human-robot marriages could even become a preferred possibility.

At the second International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots held at Goldsmiths University in London, the possibility of people being able to tailor a “sex robot” to such an extent that they could be made to look, smell and even feel like their perfect vision of a partner is, according to some experts, an option that could be available in the not-too-distant future.

“Someone could order a robot that looks like their ex-partner or even like their favorite celebrity if they wished. Who knows the level of personalization that could be possible. So the question of wishing to also marry their perfect creation may not be as far-fetched in the future as it may sound now,” Dr. David Levy, a leading author and expert in computer-human interaction told the conference on December 19.

In his book, ‘Love and Sex with Robots,’ Dr. Levy very much welcomes the revolution of sex robot technology as he feels that it will make the world a happier place.  Lonely and bereaved individuals could benefit, according to Dr. Levy, as would those at risk of being social misfits or the commonly isolated men who, for whatever reason, become incapable of developing traditional human relationships.

And men are the dominant consumers of this developing market for human replicas, according to the speakers at the conference.

Sex Therapy and Robot Prostitution

“Robots are like passive inanimate objects and they could also bring a therapeutic quality for both men or women. Deep-rooted anxieties exist in society where more and more humans feel disconnected from each other and so maybe our relationship with technology could either widen the gap or teach us the importance of getting closer,” said Dr. Genevieve Liveley, a lecturer specializing in cyborg genealogy from Bristol University.

“Sex robots are just another example of technological ingenuity overcoming human conditions,” Dr. Liveley added.

Event organizer Dr. Kate Devlin, who is a senior lecturer in computing at Goldsmiths University, has previously written about sex robots being used to help sex offenders.

“We need to really understand the ethics and therapeutic uses of sex with robots and I feel we could be heading towards some kind of transhuman era as the whole sex tech industry advances at the pace it is,” Dr. Devlin told Sputnik at the conference.

“A lot of the technology currently being created is by men and for men. An area that requires a little more research is the market for sex toys as that is more evenly split between both men and women. It is my hope that the sex robot of the future will not resemble humans and instead be created as almost unique separate beings. This would save the issue of them being objectified as replacements for women,” she said. There have been a gradual increase in the specific market and online shops like Plug Lust that have seen increase in audience and buyers.

Dr. Kathleen Richardson, an academic and director of The Campaign Against Sex Robots, although not present at the conference herself, was referenced for her well-known stance of citing an ethical link between the development of artificial intelligence (AI) sex-bot technology and the prostitution of human beings.

The development of life-like female sex robots simply reinforces a broader society narrative where women are seen as a commodity or a product that can be used, she told Sputnik at another conference recently.

‘Dystopian Fears, Utopian Fantasies’

Emma Yann Zhang, a computer science PHD student at City University in London presented a digital project at the London conference that she and her team have developed. It is a real-time kissing application called ‘Kissenger’ and rather than solely being intended as a sexual tool, it is more of a way to revolutionize social relationships and communication. It could also be implemented into a sex robot for enhanced sensory features.

“It is designed for couples and families who may be far from each other to be able to send each other a kiss, as a direct expression of love and affection. The app connects to a device which when kissed exerts exactly the same pressure sensation on the receiving side of the other person.

“It is like a technological extension of our senses and in the future we could even add further sensory variables such as smells and textures,” Zhang told Sputnik.

Professor Carey Jewitt from UCL in London was an academic attending the conference as part of a research project she is involved with, and at the end of the first day she told Sputnik:

“The conference for me has highlighted both the dystopian fears as well as utopian fantasies around human-machine relationships. In the future I feel this will very much teach us all much about ourselves as human beings and the many anxieties associated with modern life.”

“We have as much in common with cyborgs as we do with primates. Some may say that as humans in the modern world, we are in fact becoming more like robots every day,” Dr. Genevieve Liveley from Bristol University concluded at the conference.

https://sputniknews.com/science/201612201048786789-london-robot-sex-conference/

https://www.rt.com/uk/370985-celebrity-sex-robot-special/

Doug Hines (R), owner and designer for TrueCompanion, has help carrying Roxxxy, a prototype of what Hines said is the world’s first female sex robot complete with artificial intelligence and equipped to carry a conversation.

Sex bytes for married couples — who will soon get more action from robots than each other, experts predicted at a tech conference Monday.

The use of sex robots to push buttons between the sheets will be considered “socially normal” in 25 years, said experts at the International Congress of Love and Sex with Robotics in London, according to the UK Telegraph.

But the trend will ultimately be good for humanity, predicted Dr. Trudy Barber, an expert on technology and sexual intercourse.

It will bring more value to real human relationships — and getting laid the old-fashioned way, she said at the conference at the University of London.

“I think what will happen is that they will make real-time relationships more valuable and exciting” she said.

Modal Trigger

“It could be that we are so busy with our lives, we are so embedded in our technological narrative that the idea of engaging in long-distance sex and robot sex is actually a natural process in our evolutionary cycle,” she said.

Sex robots such as Rocky or Roxxxy True Companion have already hit the market for $8,600 — and similar products are only getting cheaper and more likable, the Telegraph reported.

Some tech experts have warned that widespread use of robots in bed will breed a generation of teenagers who have no clue what real sex is all about.

Adolescents risk losing their virginity to humanoids and growing up with unrealistic sexual expectations, experts have said.

In June, scientist Dr. Noel Sharkey — a former adviser to the UN — called on European governments to prevent robotics from being hijacked by the sex industry.

Robots will soon become an “extra human race,” he predicted. “The question is not when will it become acceptable — but when will we integrate.”

http://nypost.com/2016/12/20/sex-with-robots-will-soon-be-more-common-than-the-real-thing-experts-say/

Sex robots appear to be here to stay. This Monday and Tuesday, the Second International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots is drawing some of the best minds in artificial intelligence, robotics AND computer-human interaction to London, in the latest evidence that the industry is no longer in its infancy.

You can already buy high-end robotic love for about seven grand — and they come ready-made with a beating heart, the capacity to orgasm and even multiple, programmable personalities.

“Does love have to be reciprocated in order to be valid?” asks Dr. Kate Devlin, event host for the London conference. Much to her delight, she knows that our culture has already answered her question.

The vision of sex celebrated by our movies and music — and facilitated by hook-up applications like Tinder — is premised on lack of feelings and commitment. The whole point is to use each other as mere objects. The rise of digital pornography (and, soon, mainstream virtual reality porn) is also premised on sexual gratification apart from there being any reciprocation.

Sex with computers is just the latest example of this trajectory.

But barring any changes in our sexual culture, the game-changing nature of robotics and artificial intelligence gives many people good reason to believe that it will eventually replace having sex with humans.

Don’t believe me? Think we’ll at least need sex between humans to propagate the species?

The answer to this challenge was offered two decades ago by the movie “GATTACA.” It warned of us of a culture in reproduction is consciously separated from sex.

In its world, that human beings of the not-too-distant future will reproduce almost totally via laboratory technology. In the movie, people who had “religious births” (created because their parents had sex) were known as “invalids.”

In a striking scene, a geneticist working with a couple noted that, “You have specified hazel eyes, dark hair and fair skin. I’ve taken the liberty of eradicating any potentially prejudicial conditions. Premature baldness, myopia . . . alcoholism and addictive susceptibility . . . propensity for violence, obesity, etc.”

When the couple asks if they “should leave a few things to chance,” the geneticist replies, “We want to give your child the best possible start. Believe me, we have enough imperfection built in already. Your child doesn’t need any more additional burdens.”

We aren’t there yet, but as in vitrofertilization (IVF) has become less expensive and more effective — and as we continue to put off child rearing until later in life and demand genetic quality control over our offspring — reproduction will become more and more disconnected from sex.

Particularly when we have artificial placentas (not that far away) and artificial wombs (pretty far away, but coming), we will be dangerously close to proving that sci-fi scenario correct.

Anyone who has ever been through IVF knows the ways in which we can attempt to have quality control over the embryos for sale. From paying Ivy League college students $20,000 for their eggs (as long as, of course, they provide evidence of their high SAT scores and a photo demonstrating their attractiveness) — to using preimplantation genetic diagnosis of embryos to choose “the best” embryos (and discarding the rest) — we have set a reproductive course directly toward the future “GATTACA” warned us about.

If we are to stop the slide we will need a progressive sexual counter-culture.

Sex robots appear to be here to stay. This Monday and Tuesday, the Second International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots is drawing some of the best minds in artificial intelligence, robotics AND computer-human interaction to London, in the latest evidence that the industry is no longer in its infancy.

You can already buy high-end robotic love for about seven grand — and they come ready-made with a beating heart, the capacity to orgasm and even multiple, programmable personalities.

“Does love have to be reciprocated in order to be valid?” asks Dr. Kate Devlin, event host for the London conference. Much to her delight, she knows that our culture has already answered her question.

The vision of sex celebrated by our movies and music — and facilitated by hook-up applications like Tinder — is premised on lack of feelings and commitment. The whole point is to use each other as mere objects. The rise of digital pornography (and, soon, mainstream virtual reality porn) is also premised on sexual gratification apart from there being any reciprocation.

Sex with computers is just the latest example of this trajectory.

But barring any changes in our sexual culture, the game-changing nature of robotics and artificial intelligence gives many people good reason to believe that it will eventually replace having sex with humans.

Don’t believe me? Think we’ll at least need sex between humans to propagate the species?

The answer to this challenge was offered two decades ago by the movie “GATTACA.” It warned of us of a culture in reproduction is consciously separated from sex.

In its world, that human beings of the not-too-distant future will reproduce almost totally via laboratory technology. In the movie, people who had “religious births” (created because their parents had sex) were known as “invalids.”

In a striking scene, a geneticist working with a couple noted that, “You have specified hazel eyes, dark hair and fair skin. I’ve taken the liberty of eradicating any potentially prejudicial conditions. Premature baldness, myopia . . . alcoholism and addictive susceptibility . . . propensity for violence, obesity, etc.”

When the couple asks if they “should leave a few things to chance,” the geneticist replies, “We want to give your child the best possible start. Believe me, we have enough imperfection built in already. Your child doesn’t need any more additional burdens.”

We aren’t there yet, but as in vitrofertilization (IVF) has become less expensive and more effective — and as we continue to put off child rearing until later in life and demand genetic quality control over our offspring — reproduction will become more and more disconnected from sex.

Particularly when we have artificial placentas (not that far away) and artificial wombs (pretty far away, but coming), we will be dangerously close to proving that sci-fi scenario correct.

Anyone who has ever been through IVF knows the ways in which we can attempt to have quality control over the embryos for sale. From paying Ivy League college students $20,000 for their eggs (as long as, of course, they provide evidence of their high SAT scores and a photo demonstrating their attractiveness) — to using preimplantation genetic diagnosis of embryos to choose “the best” embryos (and discarding the rest) — we have set a reproductive course directly toward the future “GATTACA” warned us about.

If we are to stop the slide we will need a progressive sexual counter-culture.

It must begin by calling out how a capitalist market drives out cultural values and moral principles in the name of securing profits for shareholders of the companies which bring us virtual-reality porn, sex robots and quality-controlled laboratory embryos.

In resisting such forces, we must stand up for new cultural norms which insist that sex and openness to the gift of procreation (not the market-laden term “reproduction”) must be connected.

Arguments in favor of such connections need not rely on the Bible or any kind of explicitly religious truth, but simply on the view that a culture ruled by the norms and principles in “GATTACA” are bad and ought to be resisted. Plenty of people hold this position regardless of their (lack of) religious belief.

The current culture, of course, finds it difficult to insist on the connection between sex and the gift of procreation. Indeed, disconnection between the two may be so strongly imbedded in the developed West that it may require young people to get us rethink our sexual and reproductive practices. In addition to being far more open-minded about these matters, the dystopian future toward which we are slouching will be theirs to live through if nothing changes.

It will take a very strong sexual counter-culture to get a culture dominated by capitalism and sexual autonomy to rethink these norms. But young people have changed embedded assumptions in our culture before.

Of the next generation, we must ask the following question: “Are you going to accept your grandfather’s view of sex and reproduction, or is your generation going to challenge the status quo?”

If we are to avoid “GATTACA,” we must hope for the latter.

Camosy is associate professor of ethics in Fordham’s theology department.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/robot-sex-slouch-dystopian-future-article-1.2916250