At a trade show in Austria, a sex robot named ‘Samantha’ was put on display to show off her advanced features and realistic human-like qualities. She not only talks, but also has built-in sensors all over her silicon body that can respond to romantic and sexual gestures. During the first two days of the show, the $5000 sex bot was introduced to interested parties under the watchful eye of its developers Dr Sergi Santos and Arran Lee Squire of Synthea Amatus. On the third day, the developers decided to leave her unsupervised for men to do as they pleased.

Much to their horror, by the end of the day ‘Samantha’ had been so aggressively groped, handled and soiled that her neck and mouth were damaged, one finger was broken and some of her sensors required replacements.

Programmed to endure gentle touches, she was barbarically molested by strangers. This incident raises questions about whether or not such ‘inanimate objects’ made in the likeness of women, condone male aggression towards females? In an attempt to make artificial intelligence human like, are we significantly improving human lives or enabling psychotic disorders, implicating sex slavery, rape, pedophilia and other perversions?

This guilt-free behavior of some men reveals a scary reality that is deeply disturbing; the developers later argued that because the men did not understand the technology and they didn’t have to pay for it, they did what they wanted. Such behavior resonates in our instant gratification society, where some men seem to find it acceptable to satisfy their needs and objectify or rape women, without considering the consequences.

Can women ever feel safe in such a society? Some argue that the coming wave of sex robots provides an outlet for sexual predators, due to their sexualized non-consensual nature. But this argument is unsound and distorted; if anything such an opportunity not just invites, but virtually simulates rape by insisting on aggression by a dominant male over a powerless non-consenting female-like body. Sex robots encourage male entitlement and violence to women’s bodies. For instance, if a man purchases a sex robot, does that make him the owner or is the robot his companion?

Ownership implies that an owner can do whatever he pleases, acting out his wildest fantasies because he now ‘possesses’ this body: Sexual violence has less to do with sexual desire or attraction than with power. In a society where women are treated unjustly and suffer at the hands aggressive men, sexual predators are always prowling for a pliable body. We need to address this mindset because such behavior is unacceptable. Science has a responsibility to meet ethical standards and improve the lives of people. Artificially intelligent sex bots cannot provide true companionship or intimacy. If anything, they further isolate one from natural human relationships and intimacy that is filled with passion and emotions.

Author: Sarona Wolter

Editor: Anne Thomas

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