There are already enough gender stereotypes, entrenched sexism and sexual objectification in society. But banning the development of robotic sex dolls seems short-sighted and even undesirable.
Existing research on sex and robotics typically focuses on superficial explorations of human attachment, as popularized in movies like Her and Robot G: a male-dominated, male-oriented machine called an artificially intelligent lovedoll, and often without regard for gender equality.
David Levy's groundbreaking study builds on earlier research into tele-interaction (remote sex toys controlled via the Internet) and aims to describe a society that is increasingly accepting of robotic blowjob sex doll. For him, sex is a mode that can be embodied in human-machine relationships.
New Sex Robots
Richardson doesn't like this prospect, and to some extent she's right that this claim should be questioned. In her recent article, “The Gender Ethics Debate in Sex Robotics,” Richardson points out that the process of identifying robotic genders and anthropomorphic machines usually involves assuming their identities, but so far, little thought has been given to this.
The relationship between humans and artifacts can be traced back to ancient Greek mythology, where the sculptor Pygmalion's statue was brought back to life by a kiss. It is both myth and the stuff of science fiction - part of the history we write and the future we imagine. Feminist thinker Donna Haraway's famous 1991 Cyborg Manifesto laid the modern foundations for serious thinking about the post-gender world, and its reflections on human sexuality were quite prescient.
But just as we should avoid bringing existing gender biases into the technology of the future, we should also avoid injecting entrenched prudery. For centuries, a lack of openness about sex and sexual identity has been a source of spirituality and suffering for many people and for society as a whole. This dishonest behavior is profoundly destructive.
The campaign seeks to avoid the objectification of sex robots, but at the cost of politicizing them, and narrowly so. If robots shouldn't be involved in artificial sex, why should they have a narrow, unthinking morality? It's one thing to have a conversation and summarize technological developments, it's another to demand silence before anyone opens their mouth.
The scope of an artificially intelligent robotic custom sex doll goes far beyond its definition - “a machine used as a female sex object, a substitute for a human partner, or a sexual instrument.” We impose our beliefs on these machines, personalizing them with our own biases and assumptions. Robotic sex dolls, like much of the technology we use today, were created by men and designed for men.
Sex machines are made by humans
But sex robots also allow us to explore issues beyond the human. The machine is like a blank sheet of paper, and it makes us rethink. The internet has opened up a new world where people can explore their gender identities and political views and create communities that share their respective perspectives. As technology advances, society is rethinking the gender binary.
Robot love dolls may be better than sex. But what about its therapeutic range? Not just for personal therapy (after all, companions and robot nannies are already in use), but also for offenders.VR technology has already been validated in the field of psychology and has been proposed as a treatment for sex offenders. For ethical reasons, robotic love dolls may be an effective way to develop this approach.
Resisting development is short-sighted. Instead of calling for a total ban, the topic should be used as a platform to explore new ideas for inclusivity, legitimacy and social change. It's time to get rid of the machine hegemony and all the prejudices it brings.
At the same time, if we lose control of this issue, we will face another set of problems. Fear of the field of artificial intelligence, which is still in its infancy, is what gave birth to it, not why it was banned.
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