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  • SUNDAY NOVEMBER 4 2007 4:00 AM

Love and Robots

Submitted by Rahodeb

Edited by Rahodeb

Tags: robots, sex, love, Blade Runner, David Levy, Artificial Intelligence



I went as Pris from Blade Runner for Halloween. For those not familiar with the film, she's a "pleasure model" replicant--created specifically for human "entertainment." Little did I know that my Halloween costume represented a predicted reality of the near future. David Levy, a British AI researcher, has predicted that people will be falling in love with, having sex with, and even marrying robots within the next few decades. Can you imagine robot-human marriages being universally legal before same-sex marriage? And what about same-sex-robot-human marriages? But I digress.

Levy anticipates a world in which robots will be so humanlike that they'll be capable of carrying on intelligent conversations (in normal sounding voices), expressing a range of emotions, and responding naturally to social cues.

"Robots started out in factories making cars. There was no personal interaction," said Levy, who also is an International Chess Master who has been developing computer chess games for years. "Then people built mail cart robots, and then robotic dogs. Now robots are being made to care for the elderly. In the last 20 years, we've been moving toward robots that have more relationships with humans, and it will keep growing toward a more emotional relationship, a more loving one and a sexual one."

Yes, Levy was quick to say that humans will have sexual relationships with robots, perhaps within five years -- sooner than most might think.

"Pleasure models" like Pris (minus the enticing personality)--basically robotic sex slaves--will be much easier to create than well-rounded human companions.

Levy said the biggest advancement in robotics will come in the form of enabling a robot to carry on an interesting conversation, have self-awareness and emotional capabilities.

Levy also estimated that robots will be able to have interesting conversations -- not yet at the level of a college graduate but enjoyable -- within 15 years. In 20 or 30 years, however, he expects them to carry on sophisticated conversations.

Soon, perhaps we won't be able to easily tell these replicants apart from actual humans. Better give 'em a short life span. Levy goes into great detail on the subject in his forthcoming book, Love and Sex with Robots, which will be released on November 6.

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Comments
SirPsychoSexy

SirPsychoSexy

Ridgewood, NJ
January 2004

NOV 04, 2007 01:27 PM

Heh heh, robosexuals.

spurge

spurge

Arlington, MA
January 2006

NOV 04, 2007 01:55 PM

Dekard was a replicant.

There is no debate.

Ridley Scott has stated it flat out.

Greybeard

Greybeard

Los Angeles, CA
December 2006

NOV 04, 2007 02:10 PM

redconsensus said:

Greybeard said:

StarBelliedBoy said:
I, for one, welcome our new robot sex-slave overlords!


Also, wasn't there a print of Blade Runner somewhere where they hinted that Deckard was a replicant?



Not in the movie, but in the book Do androids dream of electric sheep? it was made explicit that Deckard was a replicant but didn't know it.



Actually, there's really no doubt in the novel of Deckard's humanity other than in the chapter where he visits the Android police headquarters and is mindfucked into doubting himself for a moment. It's a passing event in the novel and Deckard's doubt are dispelled when he gives himself ANOTHER Voight-Kamph test. This one incident in the novel is the seed from which the whole 'Deckard might be a replicant' theme in the movie was grown from.



OK, OK, it's been probably 25 years since I read the book, I could easily be confused.

Lycoris

Lycoris

Toronto, ON
October 2005

NOV 04, 2007 02:37 PM

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

NOV 04, 2007 03:40 PM

Hm. Does he mean "people", or "men"?

ardour

ardour

Ottawa, ON
March 2006

NOV 04, 2007 06:18 PM

I have lost count of how many "People having sex with Robots!" articles there have been.

Gringo

Gringo

Spokane, WA
May 2006

NOV 04, 2007 06:51 PM

Levy anticipates a world in which robots will be so humanlike that they'll be capable of carrying on intelligent conversations (in normal sounding voices), expressing a range of emotions, and responding naturally to social cues.


Unlike the social rejects who will need said robots.

Fuckin' irony.

Formus

Formus

Milwaukee, WI
May 2007

NOV 04, 2007 06:53 PM

oyaji said:
I liked this article the first time I read it, when it was written by _DictionaryGirl_.


+1. Between this and SleepyLady's, uh, rise, the evidence is becoming overwhelming that Newswire writers shouldn't edit their own work.

GonzoChaote

GonzoChaote

Vancouver, BC
March 2007

NOV 04, 2007 07:08 PM

As cool as Blade Runner is, we're not looking at the Philip K Dick Condition here. This scenario is straight out of the Japanese cartoon Chobits. But either way it's all just coffee shop philosophical debate fodder until something even remotely similar hits the market.

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

NOV 05, 2007 03:42 PM

GonzoChaote said:
As cool as Blade Runner is, we're not looking at the Philip K Dick Condition here. This scenario is straight out of the Japanese cartoon Chobits. But either way it's all just coffee shop philosophical debate fodder until something even remotely similar hits the market.



Well, no. Public opinion will be deciding on whether something like this hits the market. This discussion affects that public opinion.

Penultimate

Penultimate

USA
October 2005

NOV 05, 2007 10:35 PM

Lycoris said:

Johnny_Flapjacks said:
I think I heard about this.



Wow, again!



yup yup

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