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Why is there so much talk about sex bots? Every time this problem comes up, people bring up sex bots. This article elides the problem that technology is current

Why is there so much talk about sex bots? Every time this problem comes up, people bring up sex bots. This article elides the problem that technology is currently dozens of years away from robots capable of anything even remotely resembling actual sex, if that is even possible at all, by qualifying that they would have to be “amazing” and “realistic”. To me that is still missing the point. People aren’t just starved of sex, they are also starved of intimacy, romance, connection, eroticism, whatever. If your mother dies and I “solve” this by presenting you with an amazingly realistic mom bot, at best you’ll laugh me out of the room and at worst our relationship will be forever soured. Sex bots cannot fill the holes some people apparently think they can. They can replace or complement “ceci n’est pas une sex” aka “porn”. They can help you masturbate. They can’t replace “sex with a person”.

80sfilmtrivia 5y ago
That's the entire plot of 1987 film "Cherry 2000". A true trash classic. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092746/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092746/
SuoDuanDao 5y ago
I think they get brought up so often because they reliably make everyone uncomfortable. They make men uncomfortable because we imagine being so lonely it seems like the best option, and they make women uncomfortable because they wonder whether that's really the extent to which men value them. And of course, realising we're insecure enough to have thoughts of that nature makes it doubly uncomfortable.
- mikepurvis 5y ago
  This logic mostly extends to the substitutes available today— pity sex, porn, prostitution, cheating. The connection has always been the more important thing; sex is just a proxy for that.
- ipaddr 5y ago
  They make everyone uncomfortable because everyone knows they are the answer in the end but it shifts women out of a role. Things are taboo for a reason. A robot seems far away. VR seems closer but right now men are falling in love with women providing the faux girlfriend experience through fan experience sites, cam girls, custom videos.
  - SuoDuanDao 5y ago
    I find the Onlyfans era fascinating because it causes an even steeper 'winner take most' dynamic among women than the 80-20 distribution among men on sites like Tinder. The 'simp-shaming' trend seems directly analogous to 'slut shaming' in that the criticism seems to be someone placing too low a value on their own sexuality.
  - mikepurvis 5y ago
    FWIW, I think this happens the other way too. There is no shortage of attractive single influencer dudes on sites like TikTok and Instagram who post endless videos which are various combinations of: - talking earnestly about mental health and how much therapy has done for them - tears and vulnerability, especially around the hurts they've experienced in past relationships they now describe as having been "toxic" - questioning their own self-worth and wondering aloud if they are lovable at all - emphasizing the importance of flags/non-negotiables in relationships and encouraging viewers to cut out partners and family who don't measure up - being "fun" and joking around, including about things like how much they enjoy getting kinky, giving oral sex, etc None of this is bad on the face of it, but it is kind of a question mark when the comment sections for this kind of content are choc-a-block full of married women posting crown emojis and openly expressing their wish that their partners could be more like the persona being depicted by the content creator. And neither am I judging the semi-anonymous women who connect with this kind of thing, but I think it is probably filling much the same gap for them as something like porn/OF does for straight guys in terms of unmet emotional needs— it's just that it's the stereotypically female needs that it's catering to. And it probably has many of the same potential pitfalls in terms of risks to real-world relationships when the line between fantasy and reality is not clearly understood. For example, I'm aware of a few cases involving a creator like this where women met up with him and ended up quitting the community altogether because it was just too jarring trying to square what they'd built up of him in their mind with what he was actually like to hang out with in person.
fartcannon 5y ago
People can get _really_ attached to artificial objects. I think you might be (horrifically) surprised how effective it would be, if the stigma was dropped.
oneoff786 5y ago
> Sex bots cannot fill the holes some people apparently think they can Hmmm… phrasing
Viliam1234 5y ago
> People aren’t just starved of sex, they are also starved of intimacy, romance, connection, eroticism, whatever. If someone is starved of all human connection, their life is going to suck either with the sex bots or without them. But not all people are in such extreme situations. Some have many "friends without benefits", and a sex bot might address the remaining need. Or there are partners who have different sex drives, and a sex bot might make their lives perfect.
EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 5y ago
It's just a misspelling, they meant sex dolls. Sex dolls are currently available, massively used, and constantly improving. Don't overestimate guys' desire for love talk and such. That's a real threat to women's power. Every night a guy uses a doll is a financial loss to the nearby massage parlor.

80sfilmtrivia 5y ago

That's the entire plot of 1987 film "Cherry 2000". A true trash classic. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092746/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092746/

SuoDuanDao 5y ago

I think they get brought up so often because they reliably make everyone uncomfortable. They make men uncomfortable because we imagine being so lonely it seems like the best option, and they make women uncomfortable because they wonder whether that's really the extent to which men value them. And of course, realising we're insecure enough to have thoughts of that nature makes it doubly uncomfortable.

mikepurvis 5y ago
This logic mostly extends to the substitutes available today— pity sex, porn, prostitution, cheating. The connection has always been the more important thing; sex is just a proxy for that.
ipaddr 5y ago
They make everyone uncomfortable because everyone knows they are the answer in the end but it shifts women out of a role. Things are taboo for a reason. A robot seems far away. VR seems closer but right now men are falling in love with women providing the faux girlfriend experience through fan experience sites, cam girls, custom videos.
- SuoDuanDao 5y ago
  I find the Onlyfans era fascinating because it causes an even steeper 'winner take most' dynamic among women than the 80-20 distribution among men on sites like Tinder. The 'simp-shaming' trend seems directly analogous to 'slut shaming' in that the criticism seems to be someone placing too low a value on their own sexuality.
- mikepurvis 5y ago
  FWIW, I think this happens the other way too. There is no shortage of attractive single influencer dudes on sites like TikTok and Instagram who post endless videos which are various combinations of: - talking earnestly about mental health and how much therapy has done for them - tears and vulnerability, especially around the hurts they've experienced in past relationships they now describe as having been "toxic" - questioning their own self-worth and wondering aloud if they are lovable at all - emphasizing the importance of flags/non-negotiables in relationships and encouraging viewers to cut out partners and family who don't measure up - being "fun" and joking around, including about things like how much they enjoy getting kinky, giving oral sex, etc None of this is bad on the face of it, but it is kind of a question mark when the comment sections for this kind of content are choc-a-block full of married women posting crown emojis and openly expressing their wish that their partners could be more like the persona being depicted by the content creator. And neither am I judging the semi-anonymous women who connect with this kind of thing, but I think it is probably filling much the same gap for them as something like porn/OF does for straight guys in terms of unmet emotional needs— it's just that it's the stereotypically female needs that it's catering to. And it probably has many of the same potential pitfalls in terms of risks to real-world relationships when the line between fantasy and reality is not clearly understood. For example, I'm aware of a few cases involving a creator like this where women met up with him and ended up quitting the community altogether because it was just too jarring trying to square what they'd built up of him in their mind with what he was actually like to hang out with in person.

fartcannon 5y ago

People can get _really_ attached to artificial objects. I think you might be (horrifically) surprised how effective it would be, if the stigma was dropped.

oneoff786 5y ago

> Sex bots cannot fill the holes some people apparently think they can Hmmm… phrasing

Viliam1234 5y ago

> People aren’t just starved of sex, they are also starved of intimacy, romance, connection, eroticism, whatever. If someone is starved of all human connection, their life is going to suck either with the sex bots or without them. But not all people are in such extreme situations. Some have many "friends without benefits", and a sex bot might address the remaining need. Or there are partners who have different sex drives, and a sex bot might make their lives perfect.

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 5y ago

It's just a misspelling, they meant sex dolls. Sex dolls are currently available, massively used, and constantly improving. Don't overestimate guys' desire for love talk and such. That's a real threat to women's power. Every night a guy uses a doll is a financial loss to the nearby massage parlor.