Agree to Disagree: Sex with Robots (Valentine's Day Special)

Open to Debate

Education, Society & Culture, News, Government, Politics

4.5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2021

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As robots and artificial intelligence reached new heights, the relationship between humans and machines is getting closer. The sex tech industry is worth $30 billion annually and growing, as sex with synthetic companions is becoming far more widespread. But should it be? What are the social consequences? Some argue that sex robots will encourage bad behavior, perpetuate misogyny, and reinforce pornographic depictions of the opposite sex. Others say it can serve as a societal good for those who struggle with traditional relationships, and be employed as a safe outlet for otherwise toxic behavior. So in this episode of Agree to Disagree, we debate sex robots and their place in society. Arguing “YES” is Kate Devlin, computer scientist specializing in AI and human-computer interaction, author of "Turned On: Science, Sex, and Robots." Arguing "NO" is Joanna Bryson, PhD, professor at the Hertie School in Berlin, scholar of AI and ethics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:16.7	like huddles for quick check-ins or Slack Connect, which helps you connect with partners
0:20.9	inside and outside of your company. Slack, where the future works. Get started at
0:26.9	Slack.com slash DHQ. There is a sexual element and because perhaps the fetishization of the
0:33.8	doll itself. For many others, they are collector items. And the people, the community of people
0:39.1	who buy these dolls and own these dolls are pretty much from all walks of life. But when
0:45.4	you introduce the AI, when you introduce the interaction, that's when it becomes more.
0:50.8	That's when it becomes companion-like. Dating is a really essential glue for holding
0:55.0	human society together. And I'm worried that as we allocate our time and our resources
1:00.1	into these other improving forms of entertainment, that we're deallocating it from something
1:06.1	that actually makes us secure. Should humans be intimate with robots? The
1:12.1	sex tech industry is worth some $30 billion a year and it's growing. And a part of that
1:17.5	robots programmed with artificial intelligence designed as sexual and romantic partners.
1:23.9	Hello everybody, I'm John Don Van. This is Intelligent Squared and today we're debating
1:28.0	what it would mean for humans to start dating and having sex with artificial intelligence.
1:33.8	Let's dive in. I want to welcome our two debaters, Kate Devlin, a computer scientist specializing
1:38.3	in AI and human computer interaction. Also author of Turned On, Science, Sex and Robots,
1:44.0	Kate, welcome. Thank you very much. And Joanna Bryson, professor at the
1:47.8	Hurtie School in Berlin and a scholar of AI and ethics. Welcome Joanna. Thanks and I also
1:53.7	have a PhD in computer science just to be clear. So, Exyn, we have two computer scientists
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