Sex Robots bioethics (original) (raw)
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The “Use” of Sex Robots: A Bioethical Issue
Asian Bioethics Review, 2018
The manufacture of humanoid robots with embedded artificial intelligence and for sexual purposes has generated some debates within bioethics, in which diverse competing views have been presented. Themes such as sexuality and its deviations, the objectification of women, the relational problems of contemporary life, loneliness, and even the reproductive future of the species constitute the arguments which have emerged in relation to this subject. Based on these themes, this article presents the current state of the use of female sex robots, the bioethical problems that arise, and how bioethics could serve as a medium for both thinking about and resolving some of these challenges.
The Ethics of Humanoid Sex Robots
The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Sex and Sexuality, 2022
This chapter starts with a discussion of what sex robots are and could be, distinguishing between humanoid sex robots (designed to look and act like human beings) and non-humanoid sex robots. The chapter then critically discusses two moral objections to humanoid sex robots: first, that they might reinforce negative stereotypes about-and lead to objectifying attitudes towards-human sex partners, particularly women; and, second, that sex with humanoid robots can only represent something morally bad, such as rape or ideas associated with rape culture. The chapter ends with a discussion of whether it is possible to exhibit any sexual virtues, such as temperance or tenderness, in sex that is had not with other human beings, but with humanoid sex robots.
SEX ROBOTS: The Ethics of Intimacy
Thought to be far-fetched works of science fiction and fantasy, one of the most recent and significant developments for the field of science, technology, and society has been that of sex robots (also referred to as sexbots). This paper aims to examine the developing phenomenon of sex robots through a primarily philosophical lens in order to better understand the implications that the existence of these robots can have for society at large in a multitude of ways. Though a topic that can be easily joked about, one of the main aims for the outcome of this paper will be to establish how sex robots, in many ways, embody the Anthropocene era through the complexity of their existence—an existence that is intertwined with ideas of capitalism, feminism, technologism, representation, and moral responsibilities, or lack thereof, by raising questions on the ethics of sex robots such as: What are the moral implications of creating sex robots? What does that say about the state and status of human intimacy? What does the creation of sex robots say about current social thought? Do sex robots hold any potential for solving social and intimacy issues? Is humanising sex robots ethical? And so on. This paper will attempt to answer those questions by considering three main perspectives: A ethical/moral critique; a feminist/social critique; and a technological critique, referring to works by the likes of John Danaher & Neil McArthur, Donna Haraway, Hiroki Azuma, David Levy, Jean Baudrillard, and others. By doing so, it is hoped that this paper will be able to provide a basic, holistic perspective to the reader, rather than produce a work that is completely biased against the topic, and help the reader to gain an understanding on the topic and perhaps form an opinion over it in order to gauge at the possibilities that the future holds for sex robots, and the consequences that accompany them in their development. Keywords: Sex robots; sexbots; philosophy; Anthropocene; Donna Haraway; cyborg manifesto; ethics; morality; science, technology, and society.
Sex Robots: Ethical Issues Arising and their Potential Impact on Human Intimacy
2022
As AI and robotics become more common in our everyday lives, they pose a challenge to long-settled definitions, principles, and concepts that govern our daily lives. Robots have been defined as 'force through intelligence' or 'where AI meets the real world'. Sex robots are a variant of social robots whose primary purpose is to provide sexual gratification and intimacy for humans. Sex robots come in different forms with unique functionalities, which are covered in this paper. Human intimacy in this paper focuses on heterosexual relationships, as this is what the use of sex robots is modelled after. In this paper, mention is made of robots that can refuse or simulate the rejection of sexual intimacy with the user. Several ethical dilemmas are also presented, which are by no means conclusive of all the various ways sex robots can be exploited or developed.
Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics, 2021
For the sake of this chapter, we will assume that sexbots of the future will be non-sentient and lack moral standing: they will be neither moral victims nor moral agents. That is, we will assume that sexbots are ‘mere’ machines that are reliably identifiable as such, despite their humanlike appearance and behaviour. Under these stipulations, sexbots themselves can no more be harmed, morally speaking, than your dishwasher. As we will explore, however, there may still be something wrong about the production, distribution, or use of such sexbots.
In love with machines: The bioethical debate about sexual automation
Revista de Bioética y Derecho
A few companies around the world are now developing and selling sex robots. Questions such as “how will relationships with robots’ impact human relations in the future” emerge when technologies are used to meet the social and emotional needs of individuals. Considering that technology and design have embedded values and biases, this article surveys the use of sex robots from a bioethical perspective. Relationships with robots and computational systems, like Artificial Intelligence, are a possibility for many people around the world. We present questions raised by the voices in favor of robot sex, and against it. Beyond a binary polarization, the bioethical perspective recalls the Foucaultian concepts of biopolitics and biopower to situate the problems with the mechanization of intimate relationships. We argue that sex robots offer the opportunity to review old patterns regarding gender, inequality, and health.
Should We Be Thinking About Sex Robots
Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications, 2017
The chapter introduces the edited collection Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications. It proposes a definition of the term 'sex robot' and examines some current prototype models. It also considers the three main ethical questions one can ask about sex robots: (i) do they benefit/harm the user? (ii) do they benefit/harm society? or (iii) do they benefit/harm the robot?