Are A.I. sex dolls the future of intimacy?

Published Jan 05, 2020 • 2 minute read

we visit Kinky S dolls in Toronto to learn about the business on Friday September 7, 2018. Craig Robertson/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network Photo by Craig Robertson /Craig Robertson/Toronto Sun

Can you spot the difference?

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Sex dolls are becoming so well made, one doll maker believes it could be a matter of years before they “approach something in the mammal category,” the Daily Star Online reports.

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Matt McMullen, owner of RealDoll, says artificial intelligence could help make sex dolls indistinguishable from real people.

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“I would say probably within five to 10 years the appearance of a robot is going to drastically improve,” McMullen told the Star.

“A.I. may start to approach something in the mammal category but I don’t see, necessarily, human-like intelligence and, as such, I don’t think we can even consider the idea of human-like self-awareness,” he said.

“I think in some ways that (robots looking identical to humans) is not that far off,” McMullen added.

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However, David Levy, a computer science professor, told the Star there have been attempts to upload A.I. personalities to sex dolls.

“At the moment, human-computer conversation is one of the biggest if not the biggest unsolved problems of A.I.,” Levy said.

“I will always believe that in order for a sex robot to reach a kind of pinnacle where they are almost indistinguishable from humans, it has to have good conversation.”

Levy even went so far as to say the A.I. sex dolls could be created so they’re “replicas of people living or dead.”

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The prevalence and demand for sex dolls has grown in recent years as they have become more life-like in appearance, prompting the beginning of a new and rather bizarre social media trend.

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Sex doll reviews can now be found on YouTube. Videos depict individuals purchasing, unboxing and then reviewing the dolls — with some garnering millions of views, the U.K. Sun reports.

In one video — A.I. Sex Doll Review — the head of a male doll is seen speaking in response to several different questions.

The dolls are typically customizable. Some unboxing videos showcase sex dolls that require assembly — you have to screw the heads, legs, and arms to the body — while others come in one piece.

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