Sex robots will be ‘detrimental’ to society, ethicists say

Ethicists are calling for a ban on robotic lovers — sex robots.
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Here’s their argument:

• Sex robots would lead to more objectification of women and children.
• The relationships between humans and their sex robots would mirror that of the prostitute and the john. The john has all the power and the prostitute is reduced to an object, “just like a robot.”
• People who frequently use sex robots would be deprived of the benefits of relationships with real humans.
• The widespread use of sex robots wouldn’t reduce the exploitation and trafficking of prostitutes. According to the paper, “all the evidence shows how technology and the sex trade coexist” and could actually create more a demand for human prostitutes.

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European robot ethicists are calling for a ban on the development of sex robots that they believe “could further reinforce disturbing human lived experience” and “contribute to gender inequalities in society.” (campaignagainstsexrobots.wordpress.com)

Once confined to the worlds of science fiction and future-porn, humanoid sex robots are making their way to market fast — so fast that some scholars say we haven’t had time as a society to prepare.

Dr. Kathleen Richardson is a robot anthropologist and senior research fellow in the ethics of robotics at England’s De Montfort University.

She, alongside Swedish cognitive scientist Dr. Erik Billing, is spearheading an initiative aimed at stopping the development of sex robots (or at the very least, ensuring that they’re developed ethically) for the purported sake of women, children and men everywhere.

“Over the last decades, an increasing effort from both academia and industry has gone into the development of sex robots – that is, machines in the form of women or children for use as sex objects, substitutes for human partners or prostitutes,” writes Richardson on the newly-launched Campaign Against Sex Robots website.
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Arguing that such robots are “harmful” and that they could have a “detrimental effect on society,” she stresses the need for an organized approach in addressing the ethical issues surrounding sex-bots and their production.

“We are not proposing to extend rights to robots. We do not see robots as conscious entities,” the campaign website cautions. “We propose instead that robots are a product of human consciousness and creativity and human power relationships are reflected in the production, design and proposed uses of these robots. As a result, we oppose any efforts to develop robots that will contribute to gender inequalities in society.”

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The campaign itself is hinged on ideas in a paper Richardson presented last week at the 20th annual Ethicomp conference in Leicester, an event that serves as a forum for academics to discuss ethical issues surrounding computers.

Her paper, entitled The Asymmetrical ‘Relationship’: Parallels Between Prostitution and the Development of Sex Robots, can be viewed in full on the Campaign Against Sex Robots website, along with a summary of its main points.

Richardson argues, among other things, the development of sex robots further objectifies women and children, will reduce human empathy that could only be developed in a mutual relationship, and build upon ideas present in prostitution regarding the inferiority of women and children. She challenges the notion sex robots will have a positive benefit to society or reduce sexual exploitation and violence towards prostituted persons.

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A hashtag coinciding with the project (#CampaignAgainstSexRobots) is being used by some online to mock the ideas put forth by Richardson, Billings and their supporters.

“Feminists are terrified men will have no use for women,” wrote one Twitter user. “Stop the robot sex industry. It’s a real campaign… and great potential TV show,” another said.

Others are similarly making light of the issue, referencing fictional works like Futurama and the film Ex Machina. Some have even gone so far as to call the threat of robot sex workers “imaginary.”

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