Bypassing the Uncanny Valley: Sex Robots and Robot Sex Beyond Mimicry

Kubes, Tanja

doi:10.1007/978-3-476-04967-4_4

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In recent decades, this idea of relational epistemologies or emerging ontologies has attracted many theorists from various backgrounds. Bruno Latour's actor network theory [14], without relying explicitly on Spinoza, follows the same route-as do Karen Barad's agential realism [5,13], Philippe Descola's and Eduardo Viveiros de Castro's works on ontologies and perspectivism [15,16], or the wider field of feminist STS [17][18][19][20][21][22]. All of them oppose the modernist dualism of mind and body and the naturalist demarcation of the realms of the human and the nonhuman in absolute terms.…”

Section: Historical Backdropmentioning

confidence: 99%

Techno-species in the Becoming Towards a Relational Ontology of Multi-species Assemblages (ROMA)

Kubes

Reinhardt²

2021

Nanoethics

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Robots equipped with artificial intelligence pose a huge challenge to traditional ontological differentiations between the spheres of the human and the non-human. Drawing mainly from neo-animistic and perspectivist approaches in anthropology and science and technology studies, the paper explores the potential of new forms of interconnectedness and rhizomatic entanglements between humans and a world transcending the boundaries between species and material spheres. We argue that intelligent robots meet virtually all criteria Western biology came up with to define ‘life’ and that it ultimately makes sense to recognize them as a new species that is part of our social universe. Contrasting dualistic concepts of man and nature with a monistic approach, we show that traditional properties of life (agency, self-replication, etc.) may apply to artefacts and that, once we accept the idea that social relationships are ultimately open connections to matter of any kind, the seemingly strict boundaries between species and material spheres can no longer be sustained. Instead, we propose to include ‘matter’ and ideas into the sphere of the social as agents in their own right to form a relational ontology of multi-species assemblages (ROMA).

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Section: Historical Backdropmentioning

confidence: 99%

Techno-species in the Becoming Towards a Relational Ontology of Multi-species Assemblages (ROMA)

Kubes

Reinhardt²

2021

Nanoethics

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“…These may include addiction-like or obsessive–compulsive behaviours, increased social isolation, and reduced social skills [ 114 , 190 ]. Furthermore, if designers do not consider the importance of respect, mutuality, inclusivity, and diversity in human sexuality, erobots could end up perpetuating or reinforcing limited categories of social differences (e.g., gender/sex, race, and class), toxic patriarchal power dynamics, and rape culture (e.g., the objectification and commodification of women/females, ideas that men/males are owed sex, and problematic gender/sex stereotypes; [ 52 , 129 , 159 , 170 , 185 , 210 , 241 , 249 ]). They could conform to (or exacerbate) our ideologies by only providing us with information that reinforce our world view—an erotic filter bubble [ 229 ].…”

Section: Beneficial Erotic Machinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A possible solution is to ensure that erobots reflect and maintain diversity in their evolving supply of traits (e.g., gender/sex, forms, behaviours, and personalities). After all, they can theoretically take any form and enact behaviours that contribute to human (erotic) well-being; they could echo the complexity and diversity of human sexuality [ 64 , 170 ]. However, this is unlikely to be enough since at the core of the human-erobot interaction and co-evolution problem is also another issue: the Standard Model of AI design.…”

Section: Beneficial Erotic Machinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, to enhance our well-being, beneficial erobots could potentially educate users on topics such as: respect, diversity, mutuality, and consent [ 177 ]. In doing so, they could actually contribute to breaking cycles that perpetuate categories of social differences, toxic patriarchal power dynamics, and rape culture [ 64 , 170 , 199 ]. They could also try to harmoniously integrate into our intimacy [ 199 , 257 ].…”

Section: Beneficial Erotic Machinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Foundations of Erobotics

Dubé

Anctil

2020

Int J of Soc Robotics

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Technology is giving rise to artificial erotic agents, which we call erobots ( erôs + bot). Erobots, such as virtual or augmented partners, erotic chatbots, and sex robots, increasingly expose humans to the possibility of intimacy and sexuality with artificial agents. Their advent has sparked academic and public debates: some denounce their risks (e.g., promotion of harmful sociosexual norms), while others defend their potential benefits (e.g., health, education, and research applications). Yet, the scientific study of human–machine erotic interaction is limited; no comprehensive theoretical models have been proposed and the empirical literature remains scarce. The current research programs investigating erotic technologies tend to focus on the risks and benefits of erobots, rather than providing solutions to resolve the former and enhance the latter. Moreover, we feel that these programs underestimate how humans and machines unpredictably interact and co-evolve, as well as the influence of sociocultural processes on technological development and meaning attribution. To comprehensively explore human–machine erotic interaction and co-evolution, we argue that we need a new unified transdisciplinary field of research—grounded in sexuality and technology positive frameworks—focusing on human-erobot interaction and co-evolution as well as guiding the development of beneficial erotic machines. We call this field Erobotics . As a first contribution to this new discipline, this article defines Erobotics and its related concepts; proposes a model of human-erobot interaction and co-evolution; and suggests a path to design beneficial erotic machines that could mitigate risks and enhance human well-being.

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“…Obviously, people can develop durable relationships with all kinds of counterparts. I have argued elsewhere (Kubes 2019) that, whereas easily identifiable anthropomorphic features may facilitate the establishment of emotional bonds, almost any kind of "anthropomorphic anchoring point" (ibid.) will do.…”

Section: Ontologies Of Lovementioning

confidence: 99%

New Materialist Perspectives on Sex Robots. A Feminist Dystopia/Utopia?

Kubes

2019

Social Sciences

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Feminist discourses on sex robots and robot sex largely focus on the dystopian fear of an exponentiation of hegemonic masculinity. The very possibility of robot sex is put on a level with slavery or prostitution and is rejected as a continuation of male dominance over women. Proceeding from a feminist new materialist perspective and building both on the refutation of normative definitions of sex and a general openness to the manifold variants consenting adults can engage in in sexual matters, the article presents a queer alternative to this outright rejection. Leaving the beaten tracks of pornographic mimicry, sex robots may in fact enable new liberated forms of sexual pleasure beyond fixed normalizations, thus contributing to a sex-positive utopian future.

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Bypassing the Uncanny Valley: Sex Robots and Robot Sex Beyond Mimicry

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Techno-species in the Becoming Towards a Relational Ontology of Multi-species Assemblages (ROMA)

Techno-species in the Becoming Towards a Relational Ontology of Multi-species Assemblages (ROMA)

Foundations of Erobotics

New Materialist Perspectives on Sex Robots. A Feminist Dystopia/Utopia?

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