Tech news headlines screamed as if they were announcing the arrival of the latest threat to humans posed by artificial intelligence since combat robots. The movement, led by scholars Catherine Richardson and Eric Billing, advocated that the development of sex doll robots should be stopped because it exacerbated inequality between men and women.
There are enough gender stereotypes, deep-rooted gender discrimination, and sexual objectification in society. But banning the development of sex doll robots seems short-sighted and even unwelcome.
Existing research on sex and robots usually focuses on the superficial exploration of human attachment, which is popularized in films such as “She” and “Mechanical Ji”: a male-dominated and male-focused machine called an AI sex doll robot, Usually do not consider gender equality.
David Levy’s groundbreaking work is based on early research on remote interactions-remote sex toys operated via the Internet-describing a society that is increasingly likely to accept sex doll robots. For him, sex is a model that can be reflected in the relationship between humans and robots.
A new species of sex robots
Richardson does not like this prospect, and to some extent she is right, this statement should be questioned. What Richardson said in her recent paper: A discussion on gender ethics in sex robot technology. In the process of gender recognition of robots and the personification of machines, it is often necessary to assume its identity, but so far few people have considered it.
The relationship between humans and man-made objects can be traced back to ancient Greek mythology, where the statue of the sculptor Pygmalion was resurrected by a kiss. It is the material of myths and science fiction—part of the history we write, part of the future we imagine. The famous “Cyborg Manifesto” written by feminist thinker Donna Haraway in 1991 laid the modern foundation for the serious consideration of the post-gender world and had the foresight in thinking about human sexual behavior.
But just as we should avoid introducing existing gender and gender biases into future technologies, we should also avoid introducing established caution. For centuries, the lack of openness to sex and sexual identity has been the source of tremendous spirituality and pain for many people and even the entire society. This lack of honesty is very harmful.
The movement tried to avoid the sexual objectification of sex robots but at the cost of politicizing them and doing so in a narrow way. If robots should not have artificial sex, why should they have a narrow, unthinking sense of morality? It’s one thing to have a conversation and summarize technological developments, it’s another to ask for silence before anyone has a chance to speak.
The application range of the Ai sex doll robot far exceeds his definition, that is, “a machine used as a sexual object in a female form, a substitute for a human partner or a sexual tool”. We impose our beliefs on these machines, personify them, and carry our own prejudices and assumptions. Sex doll robots, like many technologies we use today, are designed by men, designed for men.
The sex machine is made by humans
But sex robots also allow us to explore problems without being restricted by humans. The machine is a blank piece of paper, and it allows us to reimagine. The Internet has opened up a world where people can explore their gender identity and politics, and build communities that share their own views. With the help of technology, society is rethinking gender/gender dualism.
Sex doll robots can transcend sex. What about the scope of treatment? Not only personal treatment (after all, partners and nursing robots are already in use) but also used to treat those who violate the law. VR technology has been tested in psychology and has been proposed as a method to treat sex offenders. Out of ethical considerations, sex doll robots may be an effective way to progress this method.
Opposing development is short-sighted. Instead of calling for a total ban, why not use this topic as a basis for exploring new ideas of inclusiveness, legitimacy, and social change? It’s time to get rid of machine hegemony and all related prejudices.
For now, if we lose control of this issue, then we will face another series of issues. The fear of a branch of artificial intelligence that is still in its infancy is a reason to shape it rather than ban it.
