Love, sex and marriage with robots

On a balmy Tuesday evening at a lecture organized by Studium Generale, Dr David Levy, the renowned artificial intelligence researcher, introduced a group of curious TU Delft students to a rather bizarre idea: we can all look forward to ‘Love, Sex and Marriage with Robots’ by the year 2050. While the prospect of having sex with a machine may seem a bit extreme, Levy believes such relationships are inevitable, given the unreliability of social norms and our collective love for technology – not to mention the popularity of inflatable sex dolls among certain segments of present day society.
The trend of human interaction with computers has moved from the impersonal to the personal; moreover, the rate of social change today is rapid. The trend of changes in marriage and sex are so drastic, Levy argues, that it’s easy to see that human–robot love is only a few decades away. All this is explicit in society’s current reaction to such ‘sexbots’, as he calls them.
Levy recently received his PhD from the University of Maastricht on the subject of human-robot relationships. Although the response to Levy’s study on sexbots has varied from outlandish shock to curiosity about function, the most common reaction has been: ‘Where can I get one?’
Levy admits that while at first, the public reaction to sex with robots will probably be one of outrage, he believes that “once a story like ‘I had sex with a robot, and it was great!’ appears someplace like Cosmo magazine, many people will jump on the bandwagon,” and such relationships will be considered normal by 2050.
Research psychologists identify ten reasons why human beings fall in love, ranging from appearance to personal appeal, and they can all be simulated in today’s robots. Moreover, recent developments in robot appearance and abilities have made it possible to have robots made to order. Levy cites something called ‘Artificial-Emotion Technology’, which can induce human-like emotions in robots. With this technology, he predicts that robots can be designed to like what you like, develop abilities that you want in your partner or lover. Robots can even be programmed to modify themselves to your tastes: if you like Beethoven, for example, the robot can be programmed to like it too, and even play snippets of music during conversations!
But what about social acceptance? If today’s society has trouble with homosexuality, how will it cope with a new species altogether? Remember the popularity of robotic toys and pets, like Tamagotchi, Furby and Aibo? Evidently, human beings can, and do, develop affection for non-human beings and electronics. There is for example a section of society today that is most comfortable with their laptops, finding them more sympathetic than human beings. Also, the social perception of marriage has morphed drastically over the years. The same goes for social attitudes towards sex, Levy says, while discussing the trends in sex technologies, the state-of-the-art of which has evolved from the steam-driven vibrators invented in 1869, to today’s expensive, human-like sex dolls, which can imitate arousal. It is from the successful induction and social acceptance of such artificial sexual substitutes today that Levy derives his conviction in the inevitability of future sexbot-human relationships.
A study Levy quotes reveals why there could well be a market for sexbots. The study found that 40% of men today have difficultly hitting it off with a partner of choice. Additionally, people want variety in sex, and want it with no complications. In this scenario, Levy believes sexbots will be a huge commercial hit. Sexbots will have moving parts, conversation (speech synthesis), artificial emotions and personality. But how expensive will the sexbots be? Initially, expensive, at around €10,000 per sexbot. But, as with all electronics, Levy believes the price will come down quickly.
Levy’s prediction of human-like robots with emotions and personality raises many ethical questions. What is the social impact of being able to turn off your husband or wife with a switch? What are the legal issues involved? Will robots have rights? Clearly, there are still many complex social, psychological and technological issues that must be addressed before man and sexbot can really mate.
Levy’s PhD thesis, ‘Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners’, foresees a time when robots are so human-like our falling in love and engaging in intimate relationships with robots is no longer a question of if this will happen, but when. It may sound a little weird now, Levy concedes, “but love and sex with robots are inevitable.”

Garantiemaanden per contract vastleggen, de TU die als hoofdsponsor eisen kan stellen aan andere sponsoren van cultuur- en sportverenigingen. De studentenraad en het vorig jaar opgerichte Delftsch Studenten Sport Overleg (DSSO) liepen het afgelopen collegejaar te hoop tegen onderdelen van de nieuwe sponsorcontracten.

Zonder dat op deze punten veel concessies zijn gedaan, hebben 34 verenigingen vorige week toch hun handtekening gezet. Met enige vertraging, dat wel. Negentig procent heeft daarmee getekend, meldt hoofd sport en cultuur Raymond Browne. “Met de anderen zijn we nog in onderhandeling.” Of iedereen uiteindelijk akkoord gaat, kan hij nog niet zeggen. “Het is geen verplichting. Als een vereniging bijvoorbeeld een andere sponsor vindt, is dat ook prima. Maar de consequentie is dan wel dat ze geen gebruik kunnen maken van onze faciliteiten.”
Zijn de verenigingen die nu hebben getekend blij met hun sponsorcontracten? Bart Sigger, initiatiefnemer van het DSSO, denkt dat het voor alle verenigingen wenselijk is om een goede relatie te hebben met het sport- en cultuurcentrum. Met het principe van een sponsorcontract is volgens hem niets mis. “Maar veel algemene ledenvergaderingen hebben ingestemd met tekenen, met de eis dat er later aanpassingen volgen.”
Het grootste manco van het huidige sponsorcontract is volgens Sigger de vaagheid. “Het is een heel algemeen contract, voor iedereen hetzelfde. Terwijl verenigingen onderling best veel verschillen. Volgens mij moeten de contracten meer op maat worden gemaakt, veel punten zijn nu te breed interpreteerbaar.”

Browne meldt dat hij de contracten met de studentenraad jaarlijks zal evalueren. “Dit is de eerste versie. Er kan nog wel eens wat veranderen. We kennen bijvoorbeeld met een te simplistisch systeem accommodaties en trainingen toe. Dat moeten we beter regelen.”