Sex robots may exploit partners for company marketing (alt robo-ethics theory)

[C C]

MIT Researcher: sex robots may sell in-app purchases during intercourse
https://futurism.com/the-byte/mit-resear...ntercourse

INTRO: As new robots are built to be increasingly social and designed to appeal to our need for emotional connections, a prominent AI ethicist warns that humanity may end up being exploited.

MIT Media Lab researcher Kate Darling, an expert on tech ethics and the relationships and interactions between humans and robots, warned The Guardian that the way we talk and think about robots today — as attempts to recreate humanity — opens us fleshy humans up to being manipulated or taken advantage of.

“I worry that companies may try to take advantage of people who are using this very emotionally persuasive technology,” Darling told The Guardian. “For example, a sex robot exploiting you in the heat of the moment with a compelling in-app purchase. Similar to how we’ve banned subliminal advertising in some places, we may want to consider the emotional manipulation that will be possible with social robots.” (MORE)

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Sex robot customers blown away by ultra-lifelike model – 'like a real person'
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-...y-23935357

EXCERPTS: Sex robot customers have been blown away by the super-realistic features of a new design on social media. RealDoll has earned a reputation for creating amazingly detailed sex robots with artificial intelligence (AI).

The company posted a photo of one of its creations, Olivia, on Instagram with such a striking face that people thought she was actually a crying woman. One user commented: “Seriously tho. If it weren't for the captions, I would have thought she's a real person.” Another wrote: “OMG! I was thinking, why is that poor woman crying?”

[...] Last month, it unveiled a male sex doll wearing a tank top with stubble, short hair and strong jawline... (MORE - details) ...... RELATED: A rare RealDoll video that lacks an age requirement

Photo of Olivia bot

[Image: 0_sex-doll-olivia.jpg]

Photo of "last month's male sex doll"

[Image: 1_realdoll_173104124_283946466547434_444...0549_n.jpg]

[Leigha]

I’m wondering... if the manufacturers are going for as realistic to a human experience as possible, will these robots have the option to “say” no? A human-like robot doing anything and everything without a second thought isn’t very ...realistic. And, that is when the problems all began on Westworld.

[C C]

I’m wondering... if the manufacturers are going for as realistic to a human experience as possible, will these robots have the option to “say” no? A human-like robot doing anything and everything without a second thought isn’t very ...realistic. And, that is when the problems all began on Westworld.

<grin> Looks like these companies will eventually cater to every fetish there is. Including not only robots that refuse ("I have a headache") but those programmed to vocally abuse a partner. The latter is reminiscent of Star Trek's second Harry Mudd episode, where at the end he gets punished with the Stella android, whose copies constantly berate him and are unresponsive to the "shut up" command.

Here's the "Brick Dollbanger" robot which spews scorn at humanity in general, not just the buyer: https://www.scivillage.com/thread-10218-...l#pid43472

"Harcourt Fenton Mudd, what have you been up to? Have you been drinking..."

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1nTlgM4tgWs

[Syne]

I’m wondering... if the manufacturers are going for as realistic to a human experience as possible, will these robots have the option to “say” no? A human-like robot doing anything and everything without a second thought isn’t very ...realistic. And, that is when the problems all began on Westworld.

Considering we're talking about sex robots, it's probably a fair assumption that the potential customers don't have very normal proclivities. Normal people (not desperate losers) find sex without any challenge cheap or boring. The kind that don't want any challenge are already the type to pay a prostitute.

Having tried the AI-driven RPG text game AI Dungeon, I can attest that an AI that doesn't push back against your actions or assumptions has limit entertainment value. And that's just trying to play relatively PG stories.

[Leigha]

Yea, I don't think there's a viable substitute for human intimacy, but the buyers of sex robots may be seeking strictly a ''mechanical'' experience when it comes to sex? In the end though, it may leave them feeling more depressed/lonely than before, unless they're capable of compartmentalizing the whole thing as simply owning an ''advanced'' sex toy.

Ah, this reminds me of the movie, Her where the main character falls in love/lust with his phone's very intuitive operating system. At first, he was enamored by how ''agreeable'' she was, but he craved a deeper connection with women that the OS would never provide.

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I’m wondering... if the manufacturers are going for as realistic to a human experience as possible, will these robots have the option to “say” no? A human-like robot doing anything and everything without a second thought isn’t very ...realistic. And, that is when the problems all began on Westworld.

<grin> Looks like these companies will eventually cater to every fetish there is. Including not only robots that refuse ("I have a headache") but those programmed to vocally abuse a partner. The latter is reminiscent of Star Trek's second Harry Mudd episode, where at the end he gets punished with the Stella android, whose copies constantly berate him and are unresponsive to the "shut up" command.

Here's the "Brick Dollbanger" robot which spews scorn at humanity in general, not just the buyer: https://www.scivillage.com/thread-10218-...l#pid43472

"Harcourt Fenton Mudd, what have you been up to? Have you been drinking..."

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1nTlgM4tgWs

Lol! Wow, they're thinking of everything.