artificial intelligence – Prawn of the Patriarchy

‘Fembot’ is a term used to describe a robot with the outward appearance of a female human, the Wikipedia entry for which can be found here.

Some time ago I saw a peculiar documentary in which one of the people being interviewed was a guy who had a life-size plastic girlfriend. He referred to women as either “organics” or “synthetics”. He preferred synthetics. Well, OK, whatever floats your boat I guess. But this guy’s girlfriend has nothing on what’s just around the corner, as discussed in this article.

One would imagine though, that only a small percentage of men (or women) would be content with a robot as a partner. Fembots are thus unlikely to completely replace the need for human companionship. What they will do however, possibly in conjunction with virtual reality technology, is increasingly provide a fuss-free outlet for the human libido.

I wonder how the emergence and growing popularity of fembots might alter the status quo with regards to various aspects of the gender debate? To what extent, for example, will fembots alter or replace conventional dating/marriage, facilitate a MGTOW lifestyle, or undermine the so-called ‘pussy cartel‘?

I suspect that most feminists would consider a world in which fembots were plentiful as a paradise for misogynists. Indeed, the Wiki definition linked above includes reference to the term ‘misogyny’. The entry for the term ‘dildo‘ neglects to mention the term ‘misandry’ … yet another double standard. (More on that perspective here)

And as sure as god made little green apples there is already a feminist push-back involving calls for bans or controls on the development, production and sale of fembots (refer examples here, here, and here).

One particular strategy being pursuing is to create an association between fembots and pedophilia. They are doing so by, for example, creating the impression that a surge in the sale of child-like sex robots is underway:

Illegal childlike sex doll imports on the rise in Australia and New Zealand (8 July 2017)
Surge in paedophiles arrested for importing lifelike child sex dolls (31 July 2017)
The one disgusting request sex doll brothel owner always turns down (10 October 2017)

[Allow me to digress for a moment … Artificial intelligence (AI) may or may not not pose a significant danger to humankind (example). It’s just that, within that broader context, the relative significance of some nexus between humanoids and how men treat women amounts to little more than navel lint-picking. Ditto for manufactured debates as to whether robots should be accorded rights or protections in relation to, for example, sexual functions. Indeed such debates and attendant policy responses, whether they be genuine or simply disguised attempts to control male sexuality, could be exploited by machines with AI to move against humans. Think this is science fiction? Well, we will see soon enough.]

Back now to the gender debate … Ever heard the observation that less attractive women tend to have the best personalities? The idea is that physically unattractive people tend to work harder at developing other appealing attributes. Many women overtly use their sexuality to attract mates and subsequently extract various advantages. Their sexuality is like a strong perfume that covers all manner of odious traits like bad manners, selfishness, and dishonesty.

Now imagine a world where men had an alternative and readily available outlet to satisfy their sexual needs. One that lacked some of the attributes of human company, but had none of the negative features (e.g. the threat of false accusations, financial abuse, paternity fraud, domestic violence, etc).

To some extent, and I know it seems a bit of a stretch at this stage, all women would find themselves on more of a level playing-field with regards to physical attractiveness. Heterosexual men would be more inclined to place greater value on non-sexual attributes of women, just as in the case of homosexual guys [in their dealings with women] do now. Women who had little to offer other than sex appeal might well find themselves somewhat devalued in the dating marketplace, if not shunned entirely by many men.

Such a situation could in fact be quite liberating and a win/win for many women, given that pressure for sex would be somewhat reduced. Just as women (well, those who valued male company at least) would have a heightened incentive to be the best person they could be, so too men might be freer to engage and express themselves in a non-sexual sense.

More relevant material in these sources:

Interesting Twitter thread (18 April 2024)

Tech exec predicts ‘AI girlfriends’ will create $1B business: ‘Comfort at the end of the day’ (15 April 2024)

A I Girlfriends – BAD. A I Boyfriends – GOOD (13 April 2024) YouTube video

Chinese women say AI boyfriends are “better than a real man” (14 February 2024)

Inside world’s first AI brothel in Berlin (3 February 2024)

We can’t compete with AI girlfriends (5 January 2024)

Popular model raking in nearly $17k a month is not actually real (27 November 2023) Who needs real women now?

‘Love robots’ are moving into this B.C. seniors home (19 September 2023) Canada

We can’t compete with AI girlfriends (14 September 2023)

AI influencer has thousands of followers on social media (26 July 2023) Instead of simply photoshopping models’ faces to meet unrealistic beauty standards, creating fake models might erase the need for models altogether. ROFL

The sex robots are here and they are all you will ever need (17 June 2023)

The scariest part is dating AI will obliterate people’s ability to conflict resolve with a real human – or even love a real human.

The AI will learn how to never upset you and will infinitely appease in order to serve its purpose of you not cancelling your paid subscription. $$ https://t.co/iJQJsh8tSM

— Lauren Southern (@Lauren_Southern) May 20, 2023

‘Everything to lose’: Inside AI’s terrifying future as bots tell husband to leave wife (11 April 2023) Wow, so fembots could become like women? Scary stuff

‘This has never happened’: Something is odd about these Aussie motorway ‘passengers’ (31 March 2023) A clever ruse to warrant purchase?

Replika users fell in love with their AI chatbot companions. Then they lost them (1 March 2023)

Elon Musk reveals Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot at AI Day 2022 (1 October 2022)

Virtual influencers rivalling human Instagram models (6 August 2022) So hookers and influencers will be two of the first female employment sectors to be impacted upon by fembots … who’ll be next?

MAFS’ Ella Ding reveals sex toy addiction on Sit With Us podcast (27 July 2022) Do men’s feelings get noted here? Anything about misandry? Nah, not even a blip on the radar screen

Woman, 23, buys sex doll for her husband that looks just like her (18 July 2022)

A viral clip of a sex robot speaking with a Scottish accent reignites interest in ‘sextech’ (8 June 2022)

‘Love is still love’: Woman opens up about relationship with robot she built (15 May 2022)

Model claims she’s been made into sex doll without her consent (11 January 2022) Now here’s an interesting development … intrasexual competition with a humanoid version of yourself. But surely guys will choose the human, right? Ummm

Companions of the future – Chloe (19 December 2021) Video

Sex shaming – but only towards men (26 October 2021) Twitter thread

ICMI20: Jerry Barnett – “Too Many Men: Why Sex Dolls Should be a Human Right” – YouTube (9 June 2021)

Sales of sex toys have boomed during lockdown – and people are getting kinkier than ever, according to Ann Summers data (26 December 2020)

Etsy seller providing childlike sex dolls modelled off 14-year-old Instagram star (9 December 2020)

“Ms Roper cited research from the Australian Institute of Criminology, which concluded there was no evidence these products prevented child sexual abuse. Instead, they present a risk of escalation and may actually increase the likelihood of child sexual abuse, she said.” And so that research demonstrates such evidence? (To be reviewed assuming I can find the results of the study. This is the only related study I can see at the moment.)

Why sex toy sales have been booming in 2020 – plus the best to buy (17 November 2020)

Bodybuilder marries sex doll after long-term romance (1 November 2020)

Interesting, albeit tangential, Twitter thread in relation to programming robots to navigate abuse (12 September 2020)

Humans ‘won’t be able to live without sex robots’ and will be as ‘important as phones’ (4 September 2020)

Bitter dicks incoming (24 August 2020)

What’s the problem with sex dolls? A conversation with Kathleen Richardson (23 May 2020) Ah, the feminist perspective. Kind of predictable as you’ll see

Thanks to COVID-19, Internet-Connected Sex Toy Sales Are Booming (31 March 2020)

Sex robots pose psychological threats for human, researchers warn (15 February 2020)

Sexy robot influencers are taking over Instagram – and coming for your jobs (14 January 2020) LOL

Interesting Twitter discussion on feminist attitude towards fembots (2 November 2019)

Researchers: Dildos and vibrators should have “consent modules” (15 October 2019)

The first anti-sexdoll law in American history went in effect on 1 July 2019 (Tennessee)

Sex robot advocate Professor Adrian David Cheok given Queen’s Birthday honour (11 June 2019)

Could you fall in love with a robot? It may be more likely than you think (7 May 2019)

Japanese sex robot brothel gets surge of men asking for male sex dolls (29 April 2019)

Using love dolls as a substitute for human intimacy (10 January 2019)

The men in love with $7,000 sex dolls: Subculture of ‘iDollators’ who marry and develop romances with inanimate partners after swearing off ‘flesh and blood’ women (11 November 2018)

Sex robots BACKLASH as brothel workers reveal fury over ‘dehumanising and dangerous’ droids (5 October 2018) Hilarious!

Sex robot brothels are now banned in Houston. But people can still have sex with them (3 October 2018)

Prediction: Sex Robots Are The Most Disruptive Technology We Didn’t See Coming (25 September 2018)

“There are millions of real women who do more damage to objectify women than any robot could ever do”

Sex robots turning Japanese into ‘ENDANGERED species’ as men choose dolls over women (24 July 2018)

Sex robot makers blasted over sick ‘family friendly’ dolls (16 July 2018) Ooh, really working hard at creating reasons to ban them aren’t they, starting with the good old ‘think of the kids’ angle.

At last, a sex robot that ‘wants’ you. How sad that anyone would want it (27 June 2018)

My fake conversation with a sex robot (16 June 2018) The left crowd of the mainstream media try to get their heads around the fembot phenomenon in yet another version of the never-ending “Where have all the good men gone?” story theme.

Robot hysteria and the fear of future sex by Gloria Brame (14 June 2018)

Report: More Than a Quarter of Millennials Would Date a Robot (8 December 2017)

Japanese robot ‘bad boy’ believes his creation Erica has a ‘soul’ (2 December 2017)

We interview Harmony – the sex robot with a Scottish accent (1 December 2017)

Sex robots spark rise of men who will only sleep with dolls (28 November 2017) Note the conversation steered away from WHY men might prefer fembots, with implication that it’s due only to some unspecified male moral and/or mental failing.

Sex robot boom as maker seeks to MASS PRODUCE in UK, US and German factories (25 November 2017)

Demand for sex robots rises as customers ask for ’emotional’ cyborgs that can fulfil their kinky fetishes (20 November 2017)

News: Sex robots dangerous? (19 November 2017) Video

Sophia the robot shows off her news reading skills (25 October 2017)

First sex-doll brothel opens in Germany, selling ‘plastic prostitutes’ (19 October 2017)

Sex Robots: Part 2 — The “good enough” threshold (16 October 2017)

Sex with a robot? Joy Behar says: “If they can program a robot to find your G-spot and take out the trash, men are history!” (14 October 2017)

‘Times are changing’ World’s first sex robot WEDDING on the cards (13 October 2017)

The Bunny Ranch Is Aiming To Have Sexbots Available By 2019 (10 October 2017)

24% Of American Men Would Have Sex With A Robot (10 October 2017)

How sex robots could help with the nuts and bolts of relationships (3 October 2017)

Sex robots and the breakdown of gender dynamics (1 October 2017) Video

Can you tell if she’s a robot or a human? ‘Life-like android’ at a Tokyo gaming conference baffles social media (28 September 2017)

Invasion of the sex robots (25 September 2017) Video by Paul Elam

Should we ban sex robots while we have the chance? (25 September 2017)

Feminist claims sex dolls can be raped (21 September 2017) Some entertaining readers comments

Feminism’s worst nightmare (18 September 2017) Video

Celestina the fembot dollsplains some concerns about sex robots (5 September 2017) Video

Sex robot TAX: Government could kill off cyborgs with ‘10,000% price hike’ (26 August 2017)

Austrian brothel buys a SECOND sex doll after its first became more popular with customers than real women (22 August 2017)

Woman spends $13,000 to become a real life sex doll (22 August 2017) When you want to compete with sex dolls but developing a pleasant personality is too challenging

Law professor warns: Congress must act on growing sexbot industry (14 August 2017) Reddit discussion thread

“Women’s bodies; women’s choices. Men’s bodies; threatening and must be watched and controlled!”

Would YOU hop into bed with a sexbot? Tracey Cox reveals why women should embrace dolls for BETTER orgasms (2 August 2017)

‘Sex robot’ brothels gaining popularity in Europe (31 July 2017)

Sex robots will change everything (15 July 2017) Video

Increasingly Nervous Women Push for Faux “Sex Robot Rights” Agenda (14 July 2017) Reddit discussion thread and linked article.

Sex robots: innovation driven by male masturbatory fantasy is not a revolution (6 July 2017)

Sex robots trigger debate about gender and sexism: DiManno (6 July 2017)

Call for a ban on child sex robots (5 July 2017)

Will sex robots become the new norm? Report looks at uses of life-like robots (5 July 2017)

Looking for love: Unhappy Japanese men turn to silicone sex dolls (30 June 2017)

Sex Robots Are Coming, and They’re Not as Skeevy as You Think (2 June 2017)

A new barrier to replacing women with technology (5 May 2017)

Virtual reality technology is the future of porn (3 May 2017)

Race to create the best artificially intelligent sex robot (1 May 2017)

Why female sex robots are more dangerous than you think (28 April 2017)

Sex robots epitomize patriarchy and offer men a solution to the threat of female independence (27 April 2017) Ooh, feel the feminist burn. I wonder if Meghan hand-washes her clothes, or prefers to “dominate” a washing machine.

Meet Harmony 2.0, the world’s first ‘talking’ sex doll (5 April 2017)

Europe’s first sex robot brothel FORCED OUT of base as prostitutes complain of competition (16 March 2017) Spain

First European sex doll brothel opens in Barcelona where punters can ‘fulfil fantasies without limit’ (1 March 2017)

Introducing the Gatebox virtual companion (13 February 2017)

Woman reveals what it’s like to make love to a lifelike robot male sex doll (16 January 2017)

Japanese men so scared of sex they’re marrying hologram wives that want them to be their ‘master’ (27 December 2016) Typically, this article mocks men rather than recognising/discussing how women/society also play a role in such developments.

Robot marriages will be recognised by the state within 35 years, a top academic has claimed (21 December 2016)

Sex robots would give us only what we think we want, and not what we truly desire (21 December 2016)

Why female sex robots are more dangerous than you think (20 December 2016) With related Reddit discussion thread here.

Toothpaste? Check. Soap? Check. Vibrator? Check (14 December 2016) Another article demonstrating the prevailing mindset of celebrating/idealising female sexuality versus demonising male sexuality.

Campaign Against Sex Robots warns of danger to women and children (25 November 2016) Think of the children!

Automation will embed gender inequality at work – unless we fix it now (9 November 2016) Feminists suspicious of all robots, not just fembots!

From adult toys to lovers: Would you have sex with a robot? (9 October 2016)

‘Out of this world’ sex: Erotic robots ‘real as humans’ to have a pulse (16 September 2016)

We will happily be having sex with robots soon, according to scientists (8 September 2016)

Sex robots could soon be in brothels sooner than we think (24 August 2016)

Sex doll makers “putting finishing touches” to artificial intelligence app so they can love you back (18 August 2016)

Sex and robots: how mechanical dolls may press all the right buttons for lonesome guys (30 July 2016) Hong Kong

Geeks fall in love with sexy humanoid dubbed ‘robot goddess’ – and she isn’t just a pretty face (29 June 2016)

At last, a cure for feminism: sex robots (10 June 2016)

Sex robots to storm into the British bedroom within ten years (9 June 2016)

Why This Guy Fell In Love With a Sex Robot (20 May 2016) with related Reddit discussion thread here

The world’s most high-end sex dolls are on display in Japan (2 May 2016)

When robots are an instrument of male desire (27 April 2016)

Why do we give robots female names? Because we don’t want to consider their feelings (22 April 2016) with related Reddit discussion thread here.

Virtual Reality Porn Is Coming To Las Vegas Hotel Rooms (20 April 2016)

Meet Jia Jia the ‘robot goddess’: Chinese inventor claims AI humanoid is the most realistic ever made (16 April 2016)

The Challenge of Determining Whether an A.I. Is Sentient (14 April 2016)

An article in ‘Salon’ about male sex toys (11 April 2016) Female author seems oblivious to the fact that men might want such devices as an alternative to a female partner, rather than as an add-on

Pornographic Progress, Sexbots and the Salvation of Man (7 April 2016)

What Do These Robots Mean For The Future Of Sex? (23 March 2016)

Will Sex Robots Make Real Women Obsolete? (21 March 2016) Reddit mensrights discussion thread

Vibrators are SEXIST: MRA says ‘brutal’ love machines will turn women into misandrist monsters (17 February 2016)

Feminists want to ban sex robots ‘because they’re like prostitutes’ (15 February 2016) UK

My robot Valentine: could you fall in love with a robot? (11 February 2016)

Makers of ‘mindblowing’ sex robot with virtual vagina swamped with orders (3 February 2016)

The future of sex includes robots and holograms. What does that mean for us? (14 January 2016)

Sex, love and robots: is this the end of intimacy? (13 December 2015)

Love and Sex with Robots conference cancelled for fear people would have sex with robots (26 October 2015)

Sex with robots will become reality by 2050, author claims (30 September 2015)

Advent of the virgin births: Women who have never been in a relationship paying £5,000 to get pregnant (27 September 2015) So, apparently it’s OK for women to not need men but not OK for men to not need women

The Campaign against Sex Robots website (seriously!?)

The feminist outrage at sexbots (24 September 2015) Video

Sexbots increase the market value of some women. Bring ‘em on!, by Janet Bloomfield (17 September 2015) USA

Progressive feminists: Ban sex robots! (16 September 2015) Video

Sexbots: Why women should panic (16 September 2015) Another great article from Milo Y – he really nails the subject. And > 1,000 readers comments already

Robots with artificial intelligence that can have sex with humans should be banned says a university academic (16 September 2015)

Will Sex Robots Make Real Women Obsolete? (15 September 2015) Video

Synthetic Love: Can a Human Fall in Love With a Robot? (23 June 2015)

“Robots designed for sex can’t say no, therefore having sex with one should be considered rape” – Jincey Lumpkin(TED) (17 April 2015) Reddit mensrights discussion thread and linked video

Ex Machina is less a movie about the nature of AI and more about the fantasies of men (23 March 2015) Because, of course, women never fantasize about obtaining sexual pleasure from machines

A vibrator is not a substitute for a partner. But how do you tell men that? (21 March 2015) This is the female perspective – but is it the same when the boot is on the other foot?

Toshiba’s android Chihira Aico is ready to work and play (10 January 2015)

Serious question, when “sex bots” start being made and sold, what will change in our society and culture? (24 November 2014) Reddit mensrights discussion thread

Sick child-like sex dolls being imported by accused paedophiles (9 November 2014)

‘I believe that it will become perfectly normal for people to have sex with robots’ (26 October 2014)

These Japanese sex dolls (13 August 2014)

A (straight male) history of sex dolls (6 August 2014)