# Rise of the Machines: Sexbots by 2011! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528 "2006-06-21T02:34:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/1 "2006-06-21T02:34:50Z")
[In other news, experts predict extinction of human race unless women discover a way of concieving without men.](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2230715,00.html) > [@](#): > > Other dilemmas may arrive sooner than we think, says Christensen. “People are going to be having sex with robots within five years,” he said. So should limits be set on the appearance, for example, of such robotic sex toys? The greatest danger, however, is likely to lie with robots that are able to learn from their “experiences”. As systems develop, robots are likely to have much more sophisticated self-learning mechanisms built into them and it may become impossible to predict exactly how they will behave. Personally, I hope that they don’t make any _male_ sexbots, that way, while every other straight male on the planet is boinking their sexbots, I’ll have my pick of lonely, desperate women. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/2 "2006-06-21T03:39:25Z")
How long before we see Norton Utilities sold on the same shelf as the condoms? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/3 "2006-06-21T04:15:54Z")
I thought you were going here ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/4 "2006-06-21T04:27:57Z")
[QUOTE=astro] I thought you were going here [/QUOTE] Apparently the bottom of that page is not as work safe as the top. Would a mod please de-link the link. Google “realdoll” re the link ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/5 "2006-06-21T04:39:16Z")
[QUOTE=The Times] The greatest danger, however, is likely to lie with robots that are able to learn from their “experiences”. [/QUOTE] Experts, therefore, are advising that people _don’t_ lie with robots that are able to learn from their experiences, and instead just stick to shagging dumb models. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/6 "2006-06-21T05:14:00Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] Experts, therefore, are advising that people _don’t_ lie with robots that are able to learn from their experiences, and instead just stick to shagging dumb models. [/QUOTE] Actually, I think that the designers will put in a failsafe of a four year life span. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/7 "2006-06-21T06:32:31Z")
Personally, I welcome my sexbot overlord. I want to be a cyberfucker. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/8 "2006-06-21T09:28:53Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] I hope that they don’t make any _male_ sexbots, that way, while every other straight male on the planet is boinking their sexbots, I’ll have my pick of lonely, desperate women. 🆒 [/QUOTE] I have some bad news for you - male replacement sexbots have been around since the victorian era, and that are able to perform functions not achievable by human males; that is to say, _vibrate_. The whole concept of sexbots is pretty ridiculous; at a push, they might somewhat replace prostitution, but a big part of the appeal of sex is _giving_; who wants to ‘give’ to a machine? Would you perform oral on a female sexbot, even an incredibly lifelike one? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/9 "2006-06-21T09:59:06Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] The whole concept of sexbots is pretty ridiculous; at a push, they might somewhat replace prostitution, but a big part of the appeal of sex is _giving_; who wants to ‘give’ to a machine? Would you perform oral on a female sexbot, even an incredibly lifelike one? [/QUOTE] On a similar note, there was an article recently in one of the tabloids that one of the “massage parlors” in the red light district of Shinjuku had decided to try offering realdolls instead of human staff as a way to get around police and immigration crackdowns. The article reported that while conversations were one-sided and maintenance was a bit of a chore, (there is now a job description that ranks below “jizz-mopper”) the customers were pleased with the service, and the managers were happy that the “girls” were available 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/10 "2006-06-21T10:05:31Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I have some bad news for you - male replacement sexbots have been around since the victorian era, and that are able to perform functions not achievable by human males; that is to say, _vibrate_. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but can a dildo take out the trash, buy you flowers, or cook you dinner? I think not. (A sexbot, however, could be programmed to do such things.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/11 "2006-06-21T10:14:13Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Yeah, but can a dildo take out the trash, buy you flowers, or cook you dinner? I think not. (A sexbot, however, could be programmed to do such things.) [/QUOTE] What would it actually mean to be given flowers by a machine that is incapable of caring about such things? And we already have robots capable of doing the other two, to some extent. If humanity ever perfects _hard_ AI (notwithstanding that we could never technically _know_ we had perfected it), then sexbots might be interesting, otherwise, it’s just… icky. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/12 "2006-06-23T07:58:30Z")
“People are going to be having sex with robots within five years,” In Akihabara, you can buy an Aibo, a mechanical vagina, and some duct tape all on the same block. People have probably been having sex with robots for quite some time now. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/13 "2006-06-23T09:07:07Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] “People are going to be having sex with robots within five years,” In Akihabara, you can buy an Aibo, a mechanical vagina, and some duct tape all on the same block. People have probably been having sex with robots for quite some time now. [/QUOTE] :eek: Thank you, now I have to bleach my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/14 "2006-06-23T11:56:01Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] What would it actually mean to be given flowers by a machine that is incapable of caring about such things? [/QUOTE] Perhaps more than you would think. Some people on message boards take great comfort from cyberhugs, posts expressing unconditional support, and mailed e-cards. I’ll bet someone could set up a test very easily in a large online community (not this one, duh) where they write a bot or script to parse threads, offer glittering generalities of support, and send brief inspirational e-mails - and compare the reaction to that to the same from flesh and blood people. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/15 "2006-06-23T12:15:33Z")
> [@](#): > > What would it actually mean to be given flowers by a machine that is incapable of caring about such things? As opposed to a flesh-and-blood guy who only did it because he was told it was a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/16 "2006-06-23T12:28:06Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Perhaps more than you would think. Some people on message boards take great comfort from cyberhugs, posts expressing unconditional support, and mailed e-cards. I’ll bet someone could set up a test very easily in a large online community (not this one, duh) where they write a bot or script to parse threads, offer glittering generalities of support, and send brief inspirational e-mails - and compare the reaction to that to the same from flesh and blood people. [/QUOTE] Possibly, but I think the shine would fade a bit if people realised it was just a machine sending them. There’s the rub; if you can make a sexbot that is indistinguishable from a human being and it _introduces itself_ to people and offers sex, then I can’t see any reason why people would reject it, any more than they would a living human, but as long as the interaction requires the user to know that they’re bonking a machine, there’s going to be a bit of a bias towards weirdos, pervs and loners amongst the user base. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2006, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/17 "2006-06-23T12:29:08Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] As opposed to a flesh-and-blood guy who only did it because he was told it was a good idea? [/QUOTE] Precisely my objection to the commercial exploitation of Valentine’s day, as it happens. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/18 "2006-06-25T04:55:01Z")
And in the next few years, many relationships foundered upon an unexpected rock: “Hi honey… your turn to clean the sexbot tonight…” ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/19 "2006-06-25T05:52:39Z")
With our luck the sexbots will all be running the Microsoft Dildos XXX operating system, and just like always , will crash or freeze during important work… :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528/20 "2006-06-25T06:45:53Z")
Anyone who has had sex with my first wife, and there are quite a few, know what it is like to have sex with an emotionless machine. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-sexbots-by-2011/361528.md?page=2)