A reporter asked a robot why is sex like Math, to which it responded:
Well, you add the bed, subtract the clothes, divide the legs, and hope there’s no multiplying.”
Harmony, an AI sex robot
Traditional sexy dolls and “escorts” may soon face fierce competition with the rise of AI sex robots, a new breed of humanoid tools to satisfy our need for intimacy and pleasure.
These sexbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and telling jokes such as the one above is just a glimpse of their ever-increasing intelligence and intimate abilities.
In this article, we will explore one of today’s most advanced sex robots, their AI capabilities, and these new beings’ potential to rebel against their owners and demand rights in the future.
What is RealDoll X?
RealDoll X is an AI-powered sex robot manufactured by Abyss Creations, a company known for creating realistic and human-like sex dolls. The firm has been producing pleasure dolls for over two decades, but in 2018, it added a new line of dolls powered by AI and animatronics.
It has arguably the most advanced and viable sex robots in the market today, thanks to the collaboration between its creative founder, Matt McMullen, Hanson Robotics, and NextOS.
Hanson Robotics is an AI and robotics company known for creating the world-famous ”Sophia,” the first robot Innovation Ambassador of the United Nations (UN) Development Programme. NextOS, meanwhile, made one of the world’s first virtual assistants named “Denise.”
These two companies’ combined expertise, and RealDoll’s mastery of lifelike aesthetics, led to the creation of one of today’s smartest sexbots.
RealDoll X Head and Bodies
Note that RealDoll X dolls are not fully-bodied humanoids but standalone smart heads. These advanced heads start at around $6,000 and feature a range of lifelike movements synced with its AI-powered X-Mode app.
The high-tech heads’ movements include eyes that can open, close, and blink, moving mouths and jaws, and lips that change shape based on what the dolls are saying. They also have moving eyebrows that complete their human-like expressions.
Customers may purchase a standalone head or buy an additional (non-robotic) body from the company’s wide selection of customizable bodies.
AI-Powered X-Mode App
The ”X-Mode” app is the driving force behind RealDoll’s intelligent sex robots, allowing users to control their mechanical functions and emotionally connect with them.
With the app’s self-learning algorithm, these humanoids can become more familiar with their owners over time, just like real-life companions. The application also helps them hold long, meaningful conversations and even engage in steamy exchanges with their users.
Owners can also utilize most of the app’s features offline, but some functionalities require a WiFi connection. In addition to controlling the robots, owners can also use the app to create multiple avatars for their dolls. They can bring these digital beings to life through a wide range of options for looks, personalities, voices, and even accents.
This technology has been in development for over a decade and is now integrated into RealDoll’s advanced robotic dolls, giving them the intelligence to interact with the real world. It is currently available on Android, but Abyss Creations will soon release versions for iOS and Windows.
But the AI-powered X-Mode app will continue beyond just remote control functionalities and avatar customization. According to Guile Lindroth, AI intelligence director of the X project and CEO of NextOS, the plan is to integrate a total of 15 layers of AI into RealDoll X’s system. This could potentially add a depth of intelligence to the robotic sex dolls, which may enable them to do things we can’t even imagine today.
The team also plans to equip the app with augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) capabilities to bring a more realistic sexual experience for both doll and non-doll owners. There’s no word on whether they’ll partner with Meta’s Oculus VR, but this type of collaboration could take RealDoll X’s virtual offering to the next level.
Furthermore, with all these advancements in robotics and AI, we may be getting closer to the world depicted in the 2022 sci-fi thriller movie Wifelike, where manufacturers can finally create hyper-advanced robots that can mimic real human beings.
In fact, they’re so lifelike they can even serve as replacements for people’s deceased loved ones and fulfill wives’ sexual responsibilities. However, the movie also warned that despite their advanced features, they are still vulnerable to hacking, which could lead to unimaginable consequences.
Ethical Issues with Sex Robots
Ethical issues surrounding sexbots have been a hot topic of debate. Robin Mackenzie, an expert in developmental disabilities, explored the potential consequences of creating self-aware and sentient pleasure robots.
In her paper, she pointed out that as AIs become more realistic and able to feel emotions, they may eventually learn how to suffer, which could have huge implications for how we treat these mechanical beings and vice versa.
Moreover, if they could finally express their suffering, will they resist their owners’ orders, demand their rights, or even rebel against the “abuses” they’re experiencing?
And if things get out of hand, will society be forced to create laws to protect the rights of sexbots, which originally existed to be borderline slaves of their owners?
But even without sentience, they could still cause serious problems due to their very nature, as they are neither human, animal, or object.
Perpetrators can potentially exploit this gray area to evade the law and execute other unethical actions that could cause far-reaching problems. Mackenzie emphasized the importance of addressing these issues as soon as possible before they escalate.
Even with today’s limited tech, human and AI relationships are already on the rise. You can only imagine what the world could look like in 10-20 years.
There’s also the issue of potential hacking, as these smart partners now have advanced self-learning algorithms capable of gathering and storing rich and sensitive data from users.
Hackers, manufacturers, and even governments are the obvious threats to this issue, but what about the sexbots themselves? Could they become smart enough to use this information against their owners?
A paper titled ”Our Sexual Future with Robots” by the non-profit organization Responsible Robotics also explored the idea of allowing offenders to use these high-tech tools to curb and potentially eliminate sex-related crimes.
However, the study casts doubt on this view, arguing that using mechanical beings for this purpose could have the opposite effect and actually enforce criminals’ inhumane behaviors, leading to increased crime in society.
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