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Science & Technology
BBC update: Sex robots may cause psychological damage
2020-02-15
[BBC] US researchers have warned that the availability of sex robots with artificial intelligence (AI) poses a growing psychological and moral threat to individuals and society.

They say the technology is escaping oversight because agencies are too embarrassed to investigate it.

The scientists want action to prevent the unregulated use of such robots.

Dr Christine Hendren of Duke University told BBC News that "the stakes were high".

"Some robots are programmed to protest, to create a rape scenario," she said.

"Some are designed to look like children. One developer of these in Japan is a self-confessed paedophile, who says that this device is a prophylactic against him ever hurting a real child.

"But does that normalise and give people a chance to practise these behaviours that should be treated by just stamping them out?"

Dr Hendren was speaking here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Posted by:Besoeker

#14  Yeah, yeah, whatevs. Forgive my bluntness, but the following must be said:

Those men and women who like each other and like babies are already quietly producing the next generation while the protesters of both s3xes take their wonderful selves off the market with a variety of high tech replacements for their left hands.

Two of my nieces are happily married and have produced seven sons between them; my fosterling #2 (part-time daughter) and her husband just had their third daughter. The future belongs to those willing to create descendants.

Access to descendants is the leverage women have over men, and vice versa. Access to receptacles was only ever limited by the number of sheep and/or knotholes in the vicinity.
Posted by: trailing wife   2020-02-15 23:01  

#13  'Erb, I can't say I understand you, but I raise my glass to you nonetheless.

You're a better man than I am, 'Erb the Coy...
Posted by: Lex   2020-02-15 22:22  

#12  This is probably what SKYNET was mad about secretly. And why the Terminator always selected impolite invective for human interaction.
Posted by: Dron66046   2020-02-15 20:55  

#11  Is no one looking out for the psychological well-being of the AI robots?
Posted by: Glenmore    2020-02-15 20:52  

#10  Aaand... I reckon you must own one.☺ I'll admit I've always been curious about them.

Then again, all robots appeal to me.
Posted by: Dron66046   2020-02-15 20:48  

#9  Yeah, women are going to be fucked, and not in the good kind of way, by the rise of sexbots.

With their base desires sated, men will be able to look at women with eyes open. The feminist dream will be realized: Men will no longer judge women by their bodies. And that's going to destroy the only leverage women ever had over men.
Posted by: Herb McCoy   2020-02-15 20:40  

#8  US researchers worried about impending 'moral threats' are the single most psychologically damaging thing since the decadence movement.
Posted by: Dron66046   2020-02-15 18:55  

#7  I note that the two named critics in this article are both women.

(Ahem)
Posted by: charger   2020-02-15 13:00  

#6  "Some robots humans are programmed to protest, to create a rape scenario," she said.
Posted by: Lex   2020-02-15 11:50  

#5  US researchers have warned that...
Sorry, I have reached a state of apathy ("The sky is falling!The sky is falling!") to "expert warnings". It's also the BBC, but that is another matter.
Posted by: magpie   2020-02-15 11:47  

#4  In other "news", researchers have declared vibrators to be "empowering".
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2020-02-15 11:05  

#3  I protest on behalf of Helen O'Loy.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2020-02-15 08:41  

#2  Sort of missed out on the proliferation of p0rn and video games didn't they? /rhet question
Posted by: Procopius2k   2020-02-15 08:38  

#1  They never write, they never call.
Posted by: Besoeker   2020-02-15 07:17  

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