Note: This post has been moved from Latest picks due to length of extended updates.
Furious Salvation Army raises alarm over “sexbots” amid fears technology could lead to sex slavery (mirror.co.uk).
No, not because they are really shop-window mannequin turned sexbot auton fragments of the Nestene Consciousness (tardis.wikia.com) with a mechanical vagina dentata (Wikipedia) just waiting for command to “bite” it off:
“The Salvation Army has warned sex robots could fuel an increased demand for people trafficking in Britain. The Christian church and charity said the so-called ‘sexbots’ would ‘have a detrimental effect on both existing and potential victims of modern slavery’. It believes the technology could result in more people brought into the UK illegally for sexual exploitation instead of lessening demand for sex workers…”
Real people trafficked rather than trafficked “sexbots” or, indeed, purchased online with no longer need for a dirty mac to go into store with “Sex Shop” wrote on otherwise blacked out windows to procure a more budget inflatable doll.
“The intervention came after a report on the burgeoning technology gave warnings about the ‘dark side’ of the rapidly advancing technology that could involve issues of rape and paedophilia.”
Said “burgeoning technology” not quite something positively A.I. yet, but the “dark side” manifesting in dozen of arrests in the UK for clearly childlike “sex” dolls purchased on the dark web (metro.co.uk, Jan. 2017).
“Kathryn Taylor, of the Salvation Army’s anti-trafficking and modern slavery unit said the androids, some of which have sensors responsive to touch and can be programmed with personalities, could encourage sex to be viewed as a ‘commodity’. She said: ‘It could fuel demand for sex with people and lead to traffickers exploiting more vulnerable individuals to meet this demand. Sexbots won’t fulfil the need for human interaction and for rewarding, loving relationships.’”
And nor does porn make for “rewarding, loving relationships” but, it should be said, nor does it make every viewer of what is estimated in excess of 30% of all internet traffic (digitaljournal.com, Apr. 2012) a Jekyll and Hyde-like character unable to control his—or her—urges once the online porn elixir is drunk.
And, of course, avoiding porn altogether is no nowhere near guaranteed—or even make likely for those more relationship cynical—that “rewarding, loving relationship” either—indeed, as many watching said porn in their if not unhappy, but strained, tired and never quite what it once promised to be relationship may say.
As undoubtedly virtuous and dedicated as they are, the Sally Army are not the first to recognise a danger: Give robots “personhood” status, EU committee argues (Latest picks 20th December 2016).
Updates/Follow Ups
10th July 2017
Brothel is “renting out sex robot for £88 an hour” (metro.co.uk).
“A brothel in Dublin is renting out a silicone sex doll for £88 an hour. The sex doll has already been visited by a number of punters, according to the owner of the establishment in Dublin. The silicone doll weighs eight stone, has 32E breasts and is designed to respond to vibrations. The owners of the brothel say that some users have been fascinated with them. … An advert on the Dublin brothel’s website describes the doll as ‘ultra-realistic’.”
Although prostitution and therefore brothels are strictly illegal in Dublin reminding that the Baudrillardean realm of simulacra and hyperreality (Wikipedia) will inevitably come to the oldest profession too, and with the same outrage from workers in other professions “robots” replace:
“However, a brothel offering a similar service in Barcelona was closed after outrage from local sex workers.”
Curiously, although a profession that will never seem to go away replacement by robots rather that real people is just as frowned upon despite history and literature recording Dublin’s now closed Monto redlight district immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses (redlightireland.com, Nov. 2016) as the sex capital of Europe in the 1920s and being “a major feel good factor for the British Army”.
“The Campaign Against Sex Robots believe the machines encourage men to think of women as objects. Research director Lydia Kaye said previously: ‘The creation of sex robots imitates and reproduces the value system of these corrupt and brutal industries that capitalise on the exchange and dehumanisation of women. Sex robots will create another means through which women will be presented as objects to be used for sexual gratification and mistreatment.’”
Seemingly leading to the “she make me me do it” claim oft used to justified misogyny replaced in future with “robot-she made me do it” and kicking their robot dog on the way out.
26th July 2017
Sex doll company is making a “stunningly beautiful” robot head that can speak, smile and even sing—but there’s a catch—it will only be able to speak in ONE language (dailymail.co.uk).
“A sex doll company are making a Terminator-style robot head who can speak, smile and even sing—but only in Chinese. Manufacturers have finished the prototype of the DS Doll Robotic Head, which contains a movable mechanical structure coated in silicone ‘skin’ and controlled by a smartphone—and a PlayStation controller.”
“Terminator-style” suggesting that said sex doll obviously terminates by biting off anything dared to be put in Chinese speak, smile and singing mouth. One can only wonder what can be done with invariable button stabbing chat codes on said Playstation controller.
“The model, made by Japanese company Doll Sweet Dolls and Chinese company EX Doll, has a ‘stunningly beautiful’ face, and can listen and answer questions using voice recognition software.”
Listening to and answering questions obviously being exactly what purchaser of expensive sex doll has in mind (Latest picks 16th May 2015). And it’s currently only a prototype, seemingly suggesting that is currently only speaks Chinese is not so much of an issue to an other than The Mail keen to press the AI sex dolls are taking over buttons.
“She does not have a rotatable neck, but will fit all the company’s other doll bodies, which have flexible limbs allowing them to ‘move as a real person’. Paul Lumb, head of Cloud Climax, says the prototype is the ‘Bugatti Veyron of VR’—and comes with a similarly hefty price tag at around £4,500 ($5,870).”
Updates/Follow Ups
10th September 2017
Sexbots and dangers of Terminator A.I. taking our jobs or killing us off seemingly taking the good worrisome copy danger spot from the internet and Dark/Deep web for tabloids.
Sex robots could kill you if they are hacked, expert warns (metro.co.uk).
“Dr Nick Patterson spoke out this week revealing that robots could eventually turn on their owners—but not by developing their own minds. No, the lecturer said the dolls could prove to be dangerous if hackers manage to get into their heads, something that would likely be pretty straight forward compared to taking over computers or mobiles.”
Reminding again that security-wise the Android-powered Internet-of-Things is something of a clowns pocket (urbandictionary.com) for hackers and botnets: Google pulls 300 Android apps used for DDoS attacks (Latest picks 30th August 2017).
“Speaking to the Star Online, Dr Patterson said: ‘Hackers can hack into a robot or a robotic device and have full control of the connections, arms, legs and other attached tools like in some cases knives or welding devices.’”
Seemingly skipping from bedroom to robots on factory floor with “welding devices”, and little Westworld far fetched perhaps for something that really isn’t anywhere near that advanced or dexterous, but even having your doll suddenly giving much more grip than expected with hands or orifice entered could certainly be a bit of a shocker, and what would be more worrisome of being hacked is if they eventually have a camera equipped like seemingly everything else to POV record your erotic adventures.
Next page: If sexbot doesn’t kill you if hacked get control as warned, there’s another sexbot that will tell you jokes and debate philosophy, and Germany now has sexdoll staffed “bordoll” bordellos too.