Sci/Tech Will robot romance become a reality?

[The Helper]

R2-D2 and Metal Mickey are cute but would you want to marry them? It's not as barmy as it sounds, claims artificial intelligence expert David Levy. He predicts that by 2050 humans will be having long-term sexual and emotional relationships with robots.

'Robots are becoming more sophisticated,' he explains. 'Technologies are being developed all the time, such as artificial skin, which will make robots more human-like. One Japanese company makes a doll that has electronic sensors in the nipples so if you stroke them, it makes approving sounds.'

Levy predicts that in the next five years, we will start to see the first fully fledged sex robots. And, believe it or not, women are coming round to the idea, too. 'Why not have sex with robots?' said one female enthusiast in an e-mail to Levy. 'They will be uninhibited, free of STDs and probably much better in bed than most men.'

Will robot romance become a reality?

R2-D2 and Metal Mickey are cute but would you want to marry them? It's not as barmy as it sounds, claims artificial intelligence expert David Levy. He predicts that by 2050 humans will be having long-term sexual and emotional relationships with robots.

metro.co.uk

 

[sjakie]

Yet robots can never truely love anyone, dont they realise that? You can f*ck any sexbot as long as you want, you can make robots as advanced as you want, but robots simply cannot love!

 

[Father_Yetti]

Yeah, I don't think people often realize the moral implications in things. If we can do it - we will, and if it can be justified - we've already handled that part. This is our society and where we are going - it is truly sad to me.

===EDIT===

Plus, if robots are going to be taking girls like that off the market then I'm really pissed.

 

[gameman]

Teacher/scientist: Hello class this my new invention "xkj3" my personal robot!

Class: Can you f*ck it?

Teacher/scientist: yes..

Class: WOOHOO!

....

If this happens birth rates will drop and well... that might actually be good for something.

Plus, if robots are going to be taking girls like that off the market then I'm really pissed.

How old are you? .......

 

[xxxtrickyxxx]

Plus, if robots are going to be taking girls like that off the market then I'm really pissed.

You could prolly buy the girls on the market. This is just as good for guys as girls. Sex, without the commitment, and doesnt say, Im too tired, or I have a headache... Now itll be more like, WARNING, OVERLOAD

 

[Father_Yetti]

You could prolly buy the girls on the market. This is just as good for guys as girls. Sex, without the commitment, and doesnt say, Im too tired, or I have a headache... Now itll be more like, WARNING, OVERLOAD

Wow, uhm, I was kinda joshing about that whole thing, so getting back and in all seriousness: being tired or having a headache is not a valid excuse.

 

[UnknowVector]

2050? You bet the line between man and machine will blur, but I'm willing to bet it will blur both ways. By the time your quad core can think and pleasure you just as well as it can process ... you will be able to process just as well as you can think and pleasure it. After a while, there is no difference, because the quad cores have human minds, and the human minds have quad cores. We are going to put ourselves into our computers, and when we have created a nice comfy AI, and a nice comfy home for it, we are going to move in too.

Also, :thup: OMG NEW SMILIE! No cheesy analogies are needed here.

 

[TheDamien]

I suspect these "Sexbots" will have their place in creepy porn films, but little beyond that.

 

[DDRtists]

As stated, robots can't "love". They can be programmed to mimic the things of a loving relationship ( Hugs, kissing (Ehhh), sex, conversations ). Do they really love you? No. They don't care who you are, or how you look, they're programmed to mimic this "love" that they know nothing about. Who you are, or how your personality is doesn't effect them, they're going to accept you as you are. Why? Because they're programmed that way.

No matter how advanced technology gets, robots will never "love". They will simply do what they're designed to do, mimic things to the person who buys them. It's not special to them, it means nothing. They feel nothing.

 

[TheDamien]

I think emotions as real as any humans could eventually be an emergent factor of advanced AI programming. How can you tell that any human besides yourself is conscious or emotional at all, anyway?

 

[WastedSavior]

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=z5YMEwX2-88[/YOUTUBE]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z5YMEwX2-88

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=sqS83f-NUww[/YOUTUBE]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sqS83f-NUww

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=s0f3JeDVeEo[/YOUTUBE]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=s0f3JeDVeEo



http://youtube.com/watch?v=9Qzo_kxFqtU&feature=related
Posting a few videos to add content to discuss

 

[Turnip]

As stated, robots can't "love". They can be programmed to mimic the things of a loving relationship ( Hugs, kissing (Ehhh), sex, conversations ). Do they really love you? No. They don't care who you are, or how you look, they're programmed to mimic this "love" that they know nothing about. Who you are, or how your personality is doesn't effect them, they're going to accept you as you are. Why? Because they're programmed that way.

No matter how advanced technology gets, robots will never "love". They will simply do what they're designed to do, mimic things to the person who buys them. It's not special to them, it means nothing. They feel nothing.

Programming a robot to recognize differences in humans and then act accordingly isn't exactly rocket science. So you could technically program a robot to "love", depending on your definition of "love".

 

[UnknowVector]

>As stated, robots can't "love".

I disagree, but this is a very philosophical/religious argument. I don't believe in a soul, and I believe that the mind is only composed of memories and outside influences (e.g. natural instincts, changes in brain chemistry, fencepost errors in the C code ). So if a computer can store and process memories efficiently enough to imitate consciousness, then the computer IS conscious.

So however you define love, if a conscious based on biology can do it, why not a conscious based on circuitry?

 

[WolSHaman]

>As stated, robots can't "love".

I disagree, but this is a very philosophical/religious argument. I don't believe in a soul, and I believe that the mind is only composed of memories and outside influences (e.g. natural instincts, changes in brain chemistry, fencepost errors in the C code ). So if a computer can store and process memories efficiently enough to imitate consciousness, then the computer IS conscious.

So however you define love, if a conscious based on biology can do it, why not a conscious based on circuitry?

Although I agree that the human mind is made up of the mind, memories etc., and that their really isn't a soul, I still don't think robots will ever be able to love in the same way as humans. First, they are designed and conceived differently, and they never have to deal with growing up or any of that. Also, they probably won't be able to sleep or won't need to. Lastly, the human brain is just so insanely complex in its ability to process things and interpret them that a robot could never keep up. I don't think it would be possible to take a robot, have it assess an experience, and then decide how it feels by making connections to other memories, and it won't have the primal instincts that humans have. A great example of this would be rape. To a human, the main thing is about power, and about one person taking complete control over another against their will, and they pleasure themselves while humiliating the other, which can be emotionally devastating. However, robots would not be able to feel this, as they couldn't make the connection that humans wish to dominate, and they wouldn't feel as though they are being forced into submission, because that idea is largely conceived from human instincts. As another addition to the brain, the robot brain would be so much more powerful in other regards so as to make them socially incompatible with large portions of the population. I can't explain exactly why it is, but haven't you guys encountered someone who's so smart that it alienates them and makes them largely outcasts? I can think of a few people like that, and since robots would most likely be even smarter still, it would be incredibly alienating. However, having a robot be used exclusively for sexual purposes could be easily done, but I don't think robots could ever fully interact with society in the way some people seem to think they could.'

EDIT: and also I don't think I could fall for a robot because they seem to look really ugly, at least judging by that picture. Well maybe not ugly, but they don't look hot/ good looking in a way that makes me want them.

 

[sjakie]

>As stated, robots can't "love".

I disagree, but this is a very philosophical/religious argument. I don't believe in a soul, and I believe that the mind is only composed of memories and outside influences (e.g. natural instincts, changes in brain chemistry, fencepost errors in the C code ). So if a computer can store and process memories efficiently enough to imitate consciousness, then the computer IS conscious.

So however you define love, if a conscious based on biology can do it, why not a conscious based on circuitry?

As WolSHaman stated, robots just collect and remember data. If they'd love, they would be ordered to do it by the computer that controlls them. Humans though really love. They love other because their "self" tell them to, not because a computer does based on previous collected data. (plus metal robot p*ssy is hard, thats a bad thing)

 

[Sooda]

> but haven't you guys encountered someone who's so smart that it alienates them and makes them largely outcasts?

Good that you have spotted one, also computers can always programmed stupider until you feel like being smarter and go bed with it. Once people didn't believe they can fly and later discovered they can, I see parallels with AI here.

 

[BANANAMAN]

Not if they make it like human p*ssy...

Frankly im keeping a open mind about this as i have with bestiality and other forms of sex....

Yeah those don't freak me out as much as they used too

But all the same robot sex looks promising. :nuts:
(either that or im insane)

Whoops forgot to watch my language.

Besides guys there making sex robots for just that. Sex. They don't need to love. They just need to know how to get it on in the bed.
if people would want companionship they would go to a human being as they have for millions of years. That's not gonna change ever.

 

[konerboy]

they sure can become sex-bots but they won't have fellings no matter how much AI you put in em.

 

[BANANAMAN]

my point exactly..

 

[TheDamien]

So can anyone actually make a good argument towards establishing that:

A. Machines can not be conscious and/or emotional?
B. Another human being can be conscious and/or emotional?

As far as I'm concerned, you are necessarily unable to reasonably establish the existence of emotion or consciousness in other human beings unless it is possible for a machine to be programmed to experience love or consciousness.

Edit: By the way, anything (i.e., half the posts in this thread) that can be reduced to "machines can't think because they are machines" is not useful.