I, Robot; You, Jane

By Clay Breshears (Intel) (123 posts) on January 11, 2008 at 4:00 pm

Recently, David Levy of Maastricht University published his doctoral dissertation "Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners." In his thesis, Levy predicted that by 2050 (or sooner) marriage to robot partners will be legalized. (See the eFluxMedia report for more details.)

I know there are life-size sex dolls (make and female) available for purchase (or so I've been told, and you're going to have to find that link yourself), but will robotic research and production be advanced enough by 2050 to create robots able to participate in the other things that are part of a marriage: companionship, working toward shared goals and dreams, rearing children, and housework? (Robots may be pretty close to that last one, I guess.) I mean, Lenore--the love-bot and wife of Mr. Universe in Serenity--only seemed to be able to wave, sit on the couch, and record messages; and this is supposed to take place way past 2050. (Of course, some of the other robot women that Joss Whedon has given us would be up to the task.) Regina Lynn, in an online Wired column, gives her take on why a robot spouse might make sense.

If you're into B&D, can you get a robot companion that can participate? Or will Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics prevent that kind of relationship, even with a safe word? Even without going to the kinky side of things, what's to prevent an angry robot spouse from literally trying to send you (Bang! Zoom!) to the Moon?

At the end of the day, I always imagine the hue and cry and the gnashing of teeth from conservative groups and politicians. Will we be subjected to arguments that point out that giving the same rights, privileges, and benefits to robot spouses will only lead to other unions of household appliances demanding the same? Maybe. Or that by allowing C3PO to marry your daughter (even in Massachusetts, as Levy predicts) will lead to the end of human-to-human interaction and destruction of our society? Most definitely.

I wonder, though, with video games, virtual worlds, and online social networking taking up so much of people's time, haven't we already started down that slippery slope? Still, at least with a love-bot by our side, we'll have one compatible friend/mate with us at the fall of civilization.