If the apparatus appears to the person interacting with it to have the ability to grant or withhold consent, then the issue of consent is relevant. I am going to make the bold statement that it doesn’t matter, in this case, whether the robot is judged “sentient” or not; what counts is whether the “user” perceives it as consenting or not and interacts with it accordingly.
“Dildo” gets used often in The Guardian, just a bit more obliquely. In the Politics section, at least.
busterggisays
If I need to get consent from a sex-bot I’m going to have trouble – its been so many years that I’ve been out of action that I’m really rusty and that might count as an std.
Realistic robots are going to have to be pretty advanced. I imagine the whole human experience will have changed by the time that technology comes around, making prediction quite difficult.
I mean, you analyze it from the perspective of social norms, but those norms will all evaporate with the singularity.
Tauriq Moosasays
@ John Horstman #5
Eh?
StevoR : Free West Papua, free Tibet, let the Chagossians return!says
I think Isaac Asimov already answered that title question in his ‘Foundation’series -and it was Bliss.
Chaos Engineersays
I don’t see why a robot would want to have sex with something as inefficient and short-lived as a human being. I think they’d find it far more fulfilling to have sex with other robots.
A more interesting question would be: Should a robot with an Apple O/S be allowed to marry a robot with a Microsoft O/S? I can’t decide: On the one hand, I think the relationship is doomed to wind up just like Romeo and Juliet once the copyright lawyers have gotten involved, and of course the real victims will be the robot children. But, on the other hand, who am I to stand in the way of True Love?
badgersdaughter says
If the apparatus appears to the person interacting with it to have the ability to grant or withhold consent, then the issue of consent is relevant. I am going to make the bold statement that it doesn’t matter, in this case, whether the robot is judged “sentient” or not; what counts is whether the “user” perceives it as consenting or not and interacts with it accordingly.
Gregory in Seattle says
“Dildo” gets used often in The Guardian, just a bit more obliquely. In the Politics section, at least.
busterggi says
If I need to get consent from a sex-bot I’m going to have trouble – its been so many years that I’ve been out of action that I’m really rusty and that might count as an std.
Still I feel I could enter the uncanny vulva.
mig06 says
If they’re like Terminators, count me in…
John Horstman says
Yes, if we want to.
Next question.
Andrew Spencer says
Realistic robots are going to have to be pretty advanced. I imagine the whole human experience will have changed by the time that technology comes around, making prediction quite difficult.
Andrew Spencer says
I mean, you analyze it from the perspective of social norms, but those norms will all evaporate with the singularity.
Tauriq Moosa says
@ John Horstman #5
Eh?
StevoR : Free West Papua, free Tibet, let the Chagossians return! says
I think Isaac Asimov already answered that title question in his ‘Foundation’series -and it was Bliss.
Chaos Engineer says
I don’t see why a robot would want to have sex with something as inefficient and short-lived as a human being. I think they’d find it far more fulfilling to have sex with other robots.
A more interesting question would be: Should a robot with an Apple O/S be allowed to marry a robot with a Microsoft O/S? I can’t decide: On the one hand, I think the relationship is doomed to wind up just like Romeo and Juliet once the copyright lawyers have gotten involved, and of course the real victims will be the robot children. But, on the other hand, who am I to stand in the way of True Love?
Hershele Ostropoler says
Unless you have a specific fetish that makes robot sex an end in itself, I don’t see the benefit.
busterggi says
Hershele – robots never order the lobster.
Raymond Szuch says
This should have more comments. Really enjoyed this post. 🙂