Rethinking ‘Sex Robots’

Abstract

This paper interrogates the posthuman potential of sextech aimed at heterosexual men, positing that advertising and design of products with digital femininities emphasise the possibility for emotional interaction. This work firstly applies pressure to the monolithic conceptualisation of ‘sex robots’, that impedes rigorously appraising existing sextech constructions. Applying posthuman theory to sextech, particularly critical posthumanism and the formative work of Donna Haraway, affords this investigation the theoretical rigour to reflect on the potential for emotional interaction with digital feminised others. Through digital media analysis, this paper explores three gendered-female technologies: Azuma Hikari, (2020); the RealdollX Application (2020) and VirtualMate (2020) alongside their concomitant promotional material. This research illustrates that the complex convergence of interactive technologies, digital feminities and emotive advertising suggests a shift into posthuman sextech – where digital feminities are designed and advertised as capable of providing erotic and emotive interaction.

A methodological reckoning for the empirical study of sex doll and sex robot issues

“…Kaufman's (2020) work on consent and programming uses the term "artificially intelligent partners." Similarly, scholars working from the posthuman perspective often use language that highlights the human-like agency of such technologies (Locatelli (2022)). Another approach is to highlight the agency of sex tech while anticipating the possibility of non-humanoid designs.…”

Enactive artificial intelligence: subverting gender norms in human-robot interaction

“…The impact of the male gaze on AI is evident through the predominantly male-centric design and development of AI technology. This is particularly evident in the development of technological gadgets that prioritize men's needs, and those that perpetuate gender norms such as sex robots that mimic feminine bodies (González-González et al, 2019 ; Belk, 2022 ; Locatelli, 2022 ; Masterson, 2022 ) or feminized smart assistants, such as Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri, have been referred to as “the smart wife” (Strengers and Kennedy, 2021 ; Aagaard, 2022 ) and “AI becomes her” (Costa and Ribas, 2019 ; Venugopal and Rituraj, 2022 ). The development of AI in the image of a woman as an object of desire and subservience reflects societal organization, hierarchies, and values.…”

“…such as sex robots that mimic feminine bodies (González-González et al, 2019;Belk, 2022;Locatelli, 2022;Masterson, 2022) or feminized smart assistants, such as Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri, have been referred to as "the smart wife" (Strengers and Kennedy, 2021;Aagaard, 2022) and "AI becomes her" (Costa and Ribas, 2019;Venugopal and Rituraj, 2022). The development of AI in the image of a woman as an object of desire and subservience reflects societal organization, hierarchies, and values.…”