“You can soon buy a sex robot equipped with artificial intelligence for about $20,000” – ABC News, 2018, 7:27 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cN8sJz50Ng

The sex toy of your dreams is here and like everything else nowadays, it comes equipped with artificial intelligence. The makers of Real Doll (the most like-life sex dolls) have built AI into their latest models, creating a conversation partner akin to Siri, Alexa, and other digital assistants. This development is not surprising as digital technology has been infiltrating our love lives for years. We see in this video a brief glimpse of Waifus, anime characters on hand-held Nintendos which some Japanese men consider their girlfriends. Another connection to this video is that of the Gatebox, a hologram-like version of the Waifu (check this out). For those wanting a male version of this digital partner, you can search the term Husbando.

What I find funny and sad about these robotic girlfriends are their “personalities”. They were obviously created by men and reflect the gender norms of mainstream pornography. The robot starts coming on to the guy from the first “hello” and they are not programed to say “no”. That is what I find most troubling here… Human relationships are characterized by the occasional argument, disagreement, and other unpleasantries. Through these bad times we learn better communication skills, build empathy, and refine how we treat others. I fear these robots will lead to an increasingly isolated and self-interested world where we become even less considerate of others. I could be wrong, but I am excited to see how this plays out in the future.

From the video’s description: In her National Geographic series, "America Inside Out," Katie Couric learned about the world's first sex robot, Harmony.