Love and Sex with Robot

Dear Colleagues,

Since more and more robots are being developed with the ability to perform tasks independent of assistance, the perception of them as “mere machines” is being re-evaluated. Research and development all around the world is rapidly experimenting and commercializing robots that perform everyday services. The major challenge for humans will be how to deal with the close proximity of social robots, and the juxtaposition of new interactions. Social robots will play major roles in care giving, education, information and communication, etc., and when social robots are created with faultless physical dexterity and social skills, humans will naturally create new relationships with them. These connections will be diverse, and will compel society to redefine the prevailing definitions of human relations and bonds.

Close, everyday proximity to social robots is inevitable in the near future, and appreciation of their services will develop into them being part of human teams. Since robotic technology and artificial intelligence are moving at a great speed, in the future, one’s robot teammate will possibly be the friend that one shares secrets and dreams with. As a scenario, this might sound unimaginable in reality, but, in the next decade, humans will encounter robotic personalities that are remarkably similar to those of humans, and these robots will certainly be highly competent. With time, these entities will, not only answer us accurately, logically, and knowledgeably, but also laugh at our humor and reciprocate our feelings. The robots will develop into personas that one confides in, become partners with, falls in love with, wants to be intimate with, and bonds with in a legal union. 

Considering that these environments of contestation of the status quo will create challenging spaces, with media escalating the aspects of sensationalism in each new development, it is vital to build a scholastic dialogue on the different facets of these topics. Our intentions are, not only to discuss issues of robotics and artificial intelligence, but to also expand the conversation on human–robot interactions in addressing various nuances of human–robot relationships, their moral and ethical underpinnings, socio-cultural implications, and also to create a platform to discuss the challenges of informed decisions on regulatory measures for future HRI.

Dr. Chamari Edirisinghe
Prof. Adrian David Cheok
Dr. David Levy
Guest Editors

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