From Lovers to Laptops: Are Sexbots the New Soulmates?

Why we don't need humans anymore

One could say humans were social beings. We like meeting people, interacting with others, being part of the group but what stumps me is how as a society we are trying our best to decrease these interactions. We are trying our best to remove social communication and have started believing that progress and growth are when there is an alternative to this human interaction.

The beginning was so innocent. It was getting online shopping platforms. Amazon sold books online and we went with it saying that we were getting our hands on books we couldn’t find locally. Thus the decrease of actual bookstores. Fine, I guess. The success made online shopping platforms rampant. If we could buy it from the comfort of our homes, then why go outside?

It then progressed to movies. OTT platforms took over. It is not lost on anyone that the footfall of movie theaters has decreased substantially. Even the most anticipated theatre releases will find its way to one of the many many many OTT platforms within a few weeks. So why should we go to a movie theatre when the comfort of our couch is right there?

Magazine and newspaper stalls became obsolete when everyone started consuming information online. Camera repairs and film labs were no longer needed because our phones could capture all our moments and store our memories on a cloud. Why have the hassle of maintaining albums?

You don’t even have to go out into the society to find a partner. Just swipe through them. What is courting when you could just reply to a person’s story? You don’t even have to talk to each other anymore for advice. ChatGpt can give you advice without any bias. It can even analyse photos, texts and teach you how to talk to other individuals.

Why do we need each other?

This frustration arises because I read about the recent increase of SexTech. Not sex toys, no, that is so historic, I am talking about the rise of sex robots.

Sexbots, in essence, are robotic entities designed with a primary focus on human companionship and sexual interaction. They blend the advancements of AI and robotics to mimic human-like attributes, both physically and, to some extent, emotionally.

The number of people using an actual sex robot is indeed very few, it is concerning to think what could happen if there is a mass production of sexbots.

These robots can be customised as per the desire of the people ordering it. There is a taboo in India regarding the use of sex toys so certainly it extends to robots also. But seeing the dependence we have to technology, it is not too far fetched to claim that in a couple of years, sex with sex bots might become acceptable.

Currently, the robots are targeted and consumed primarily by heterosexual men in the middle age with enough disposable income to buy a robot. Heterosexual women are also customers but the number is much lesser and the variety of male robots are fewer.

The idea is not completely foreign. It was a fictional theme for quite some time with movies like Blade Runner exploring the concept. And none of my confusion is about sex chats and AI but only of the physical act of sex with a robot. We have found a way to remove human company from one of the most intimate activities ever.

Many argue that these would help people with erectile dysfunction or those who find it challenging to make human connections. Research also argues that these could help people with sex addiction. But, when has a product been actually used for the problem it is meant to solve?

Prior to the incorporation of AI in these robots, many said that these robots could never replace the emotional and mental needs but AI sex bots have the capabilities to replicate human expressions. So while they won’t feel the intimacy they can mimic those expressions making the user believe that the partner is as real as a human companion.

Today’s sexbots, while still far from achieving the complexity of human interaction, showcase a remarkable journey from static models to beings that can interact, learn and respond to human stimuli to a certain extent.

Is our dependence on tech going to make us more distant?

I am sure that it wouldn’t have as drastic a consequence as I am making it out to be but the concern remains.

If you had the chance to get a sex bot that was almost as similar to a human as AI could allow it to be, would you take it?