Sex with Robots
Topic: Mysteries of Life
I see this story going around, originally a story from Times Online and of course since it's robots and sex it's a big story at Digg and Slashdot. It's funny really, seeing some folks get all roused to wonder and work on the robot 'ethics' that they decide they need to develop and spit out for the rest of us to follow. I think anything that you might be worried about is going to be taken care of by product liability laws. Like the nonsense of the Asimov's 'Three Laws' there is no need and more importantly, there is no earthly way to take what a bunch of naive scientist types decides to throw up on the wall and make it universal law directing a potentially billion plus dollar industry. It's a laugh really. If Segway or Ford decides to build your sex robots in the future they are going to be ass deep in the same sort of regulations they deal with to bring any other product to market. Any scientists who want to anguish over the implications of the ethics and morality of the Johnny Ready Robot or the Susie Sensual Robot will be doing so from the novels, articles and protests they might be inclined to indulge in.

If somebody is worried about sex with inanimate objects then I'm afraid that train left the station a millennium ago. If somebody is worried that some folks might become obsessed with their robot sex buddy then they should know that it's already there with rubber girlfriends ( I remember seeing it on HBO) and besides, people get obsessed with any number of things so what's the problem. If you program Johnny Ready for rough sex and don't like what happens, well then operator error but even that will be decided in the courts. If you get a butt load of money from the jury cause you failed to operate your robot safely then the manufacturer will have to spend time and money making the thing idiot proof. Heck, I bet even some medical insurance will cover you getting your very own sex robot.