Would You Have Sex With A Robot?

Robots are being made to replace men

So, it looks like robots are going to steal our jobs and then invade our bedrooms. This is not the plot of a sci-fi film, this is real life.

First robots will make many workers redundant, because they are faster and better at completing certain tasks than humans (administrators, hospitality staff, drivers and factory workers are most vulnerable). Intelligent machines are also appealing to employers because they never complain or need to eat or use the loo. What robots may lack in empathy they make up for in stone cold efficiency. Gulp.

Next, robots will replace our romantic partners, or at least be able to service all our sexual needs. Futuroligist Dr Ian Pearson predicts that by 2050 having sex with humanoid robots will be even more popular than having sex with other living breathing human beings. Erm, horrifying.

If you’re a very rich person you can probably indulge far sooner – these human-size robotic sex dolls (we assume, though what they’ll actually look like isn’t clear) could be in wealthy households as soon as 2025.

Dr Pearson released the report in partnership with Bondara, one of the UK’s leading sex shops and he study also claims that by 2030 most people will engage in some form of virtual sex as casually as they browse porn. And in 2035 the majority of people will own sex toys that interact with virtual reality sex.

If you're thinking 'I would never have sex with a robot' that's an opinion that a quick office poll suggests is popular. But Dr Pearson believes we only feel weird about this prospect because it’s not yet mainstream.

Maybe, but we’re also pretty concerned about what will happen to everyone’s brains and relationships if it does become mainstream. Surely it’s going to scramble our ability to connect with other fleshy humans with their own sets of desires and preferences who don't have an off switch.

Cue a world where all the humans are angry with each other and robots take over. Neat (not).

If you’re also thinking that the development of sex robots will only serve to further objectify women and skew everyone’s sexual expectations for the worse, then check out the Campaign Against Sex Robots started by Dr Kathleen Richardson, who is steadfastly opposing the development of these humanoids.