After watching Westworld, we were kind of down on the whole “having sex with robots” idea.
Turns out, we were right: a recent report (cheekily entitled “I, Sex Robot”) by English doctors Chantal Cox-George and Susan Bewley in the BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health journal concludes that there is no evidence that robot sex partners offer therapeutic value or sexual satisfaction.
The report was also inconclusive on the idea that robotic prostitutes would lead to fewer STDS, offer any help in treating pedophiles or sex offenders, or decrease the violence against/exploitation of sex workers. As well, the researchers suggest sexual activity with robots may lead to more isolation among people with sexual dysfunction. (Intentionally avoiding human interaction begets less human interaction — imagine that!)
However, the researchers do acknowledge that there is currently a “dearth” of information on many health aspects of sex robots, and that any evidence available so far will hardly dampen market forces. Meaning: we might not know the real effects of sexbots until they are a more everyday occurance.
By Westworld standards, that might be too late.
[H/t Boston Globe]
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