February 9, 2025, 5:06 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
It’s not just our everyday lives that are becoming more digital, but also our sex lives. Sex with robots is right at the forefront – and we are only at the beginning.
Technologies are created to simplify our lives. This holds true across the board, with technology even revolutionizing our sex lives. Digitalization already plays a pivotal role in shaping our sexuality. “Many people watch internet pornography, for example, and a significant number also find sexual partners online and interact sexually via webcams,” Dr. John Danaher told TECHBOOK. Dr. Danaher is a lecturer at the National University of Ireland’s Faculty of Law in Galway and authored Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications. Moreover, intimacy with machines is becoming increasingly common. Sex robots are animated sex dolls that look deceptively similar to humans. It’s conceivable that these high-tech robots might one day surpass humans as bed partners. Already, there are indications that the popularity of sex robots will continue to grow.
Overview
One in Five Germans Would Sleep with a Sex Robot
According to the future study by BR, Arte, ORF, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) “Homo Digitalis,” around one in five Germans would sleep with a sex robot at some point. In addition, more than half would not or only perhaps be bothered if their partner decided to have sex with a robot. However, it’s not enough for the really big feelings. Only around six percent could imagine falling in love with a robot. “This indicates that sex robots are primarily perceived as toys and not as a substitute for humans,” says Kathrin Pollmann from the IAO. In Europe, between ten and 40 percent of men can imagine having sex with a robot, as Thomas Beschorner, professor of ethics at the University of St. Gallen, told SRF. In his opinion, sex with robots is more than just a fetish.
Digisexual
Some people now describe themselves as digisexual. This means that the majority of them are more interested in technological forms of sexuality than in other people. This includes sex with robots but also other digital forms of sex. Experts assume that there will be more and more people with this preference and that they will even make up the majority of the population in a few years’ time. According to some studies, most people will be having virtual reality sex by 2030. This does not mean that there will be no more normal sex. However, it will be an additional factor, like pornography on the internet today.
Even today, some people are no longer able to distinguish between fiction and reality due to pornography, as sex psychologist Christoph Ahlers explains in an interview with Welt. As a result, people are impaired in their interactions with people and prefer pornography to real sex. This effect could also result in the further spread of digital sexuality.
“The reality is that the vast majority of people in the future will at least occasionally use digital technologies to assert their sexuality,” Dr. John Danaher tells TECHBOOK. However, he warns against calling this a new type of sexual identity, as it would unnecessarily stigmatize people as different.
More Money, More Robot Sex
Currently, sex robots do not play a significant role in human sexuality. “The technology is still relatively primitive and not advanced compared to a sex doll,” says Danaher. However, the affordability of sex with robots is a primary consideration. Consequently, researchers predict that as early as 2025, sex robots will become a fixture in higher-income households. British futurologist Dr. Ian Pearson, for example, assumes this. In a report, he also assumes that normal households will own a sex robot by 2050. From this time onwards, robot sex could become more popular than sex with humans.
By 2030, the futurologist is certain that most people will have some form of virtual sex, which would then be as normal as pornography is today. By 2035, the majority of people will own sex toys that interact in virtual reality. But the question remains: will we eventually favor sexual encounters with robots over humans? “It’s possible, but I think it’s highly unlikely. There are deep biological and evolutionary drives that lead many people to prefer human partners,” says John Danaher.
Advantages of Sex Robots
Sex robots have some advantages: “They could promote sexual diversity in relationships and help to complement the sexual skills of human partners. They could also provide sexual companionship for people who are otherwise excluded from sexual experience,” says John Danaher, describing the benefits of sex robots.
Prostitution could also be performed by sex robots. “I’m pretty sure there will be robot prostitutes,” Thomas Beschorner tells SRF.
However, the development of sex robots is also facing headwinds: “These sex robots are a kind of wish fulfillment object. They do what they are told to do. The sex robot invariably acts as a type of slave,” says Martina Mara, a psychologist for robots, to SRF.
John Danaher also sees the possibility that sex robots can also have negative effects. For example, they could increase the distance between partners or lead to more anonymity. There could also be new forms of virtual sexual assault. “Sex robots are a bit more complex. Potential negative effects include increased isolation and a retreat from human interaction,” says Danaher. He also notes that sex robots could lead to stereotyping of certain groups of people, particularly in the portrayal of women.
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Can We Love Robots?
This is also said to already exist: People falling in love with robots. At a 2016 conference on love and sexuality with robots, some experts believed that marriage between humans and robots could be legalized by 2050. “If a robot looks like it loves you and you feel like it loves you, then you’ll basically feel like it’s an almost human love,” said Adrian Cheok, Professor of Computer Science at City University London and Director of the Mixed Reality Lab in Singapore, among others.
A marriage between robots and humans could become possible: “This may seem outrageous because it’s only 35 years away. But 35 years ago, people thought gay marriage was outrageous,” said Cheok. The professor went on to explain: “In the 70s, some states did not allow white and black people to marry each other. Society evolves rapidly and undergoes swift changes.”
The Japanese man, Akihiko Kondo, has already taken this step. His affection for what is essentially a hologram woman was not sufficient; he sought to formalize it officially. That’s why he married the love of his life, as he says, Hatsune Miku. No one from his family was present at this wedding with 40 guests, which was certified with a certificate by the manufacturer of the hologram woman, Gatebox.