A quarter of young people say they would have sex with an AI device

For young people, celebrating Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily require a human partner any more.

Among people under 30, one in four says they are open to a relationship with an AI droid, according to a survey by Russian tech company Kaspersky.

One quarter of the participants also state that they would have sex with the robots.

One-quarter of the participants surveyed by Kaspersky state that they would have sex with the conceivable robots. Pictured, visitors take photos of an AI humanoid education robot at the Fuzhou Strait International Conference and Exhibition Center in China on October 11, 2020

The Moscow-based cybersecurity provider asked 1,000 Germans aged 16 to 30 about their perception on devices powered by artificial intelligence.

The poll was conducted in a bid to observe how technology and the increasingly dominant online social interactions are affecting people’s love life.

According to Kaspersky’s survey, 26 per cent of young people can imagine falling in love with an AI robot specifically programmed to meet their needs.

A quarter of them would consider having sex with a human-like droid, with the proportion of men nearly two times higher than women.

Almost a third of the participants believe they find their ideal human partners with the help of artificial intelligence.

And 27 per cent of them believe that romantic relationships created by AI can last longer.

Among people under 30, one in four says they are open to a relationship with a human-looking AI droid, according to a survey by Russian tech company Kaspersky. In this file photo taken on March 12, 2018,  an electronic scull of a AI sex doll robot is seen in Shenzhen, southern China

The survey also found that people are interested in exploring different applications of the technology.

Nearly 30 per cent of those surveyed said they could imagine continuing to love an AI version of their former or deceased partner by uploading their details to the cloud and preserving them.

By conducting the survey, Kaspersky said that they hoped to initiate discussions about the potential impacts of people having relationships with AI devices.

‘Since AI relationships are still a marginal phenomenon in society, there are only a few studies on this topic,’ said Anne Mickler, Corporate Communications Manager at the Russian firm.

‘Kaspersky believes this needs to change and would like to initiate a dialogue about the potential cultural implications of such a new form of relationship.’

She added: ‘The topic may raise moral questions, but are AI and robots perhaps the future of love and sex?’

The idea that machines could be more than just a useful tool is no longer fictional.

Over the past few years, sex robots enriched with artificial intelligence have already been unveiled and welcomed by consumers. 

But the legal and moral issues associated with the technology remain debatable.  

ARE SMART SEX DOLLS BRINGING SCIENCE FICTION TO LIFE?

Sex robots have long been a part of science fiction, and are often used by writers to show the menacing side of technology.

But, with the development of intelligent, more realistic looking sex dolls, they’re fast becoming a part of real life, too. 

The rise of sex robots such as ‘Silicon Samantha’ and Realbotix Harmony RealDoll has caused many to draw parallels to popular science fiction narratives.

In the 2015 film Ex Machina, programmer Nathan (Oscar Isaac) has cold and cruel sex with his creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). However, she has the last laugh when she kills him and escapes to live covertly among humans.

In the TV series Westworld, Thandie Newton plays brothel madame Maeve Millay who is frequently killed by guests during sex only to be patched up and put back to work again. 

The rise of sex robots such as ‘Silicon Samantha’ and Realbotix Harmony RealDoll has caused many to draw parallels to popular science fiction narratives

In Channel 4’s Humans, Anita is a domestic nanny robot. But her male owner initiates her sex program – much to the disgust of his wife when she finds out.

Another robot in the show, Niska, acts as a prostitute, and later goes on to kill one of her clients.

In Blade Runner, Pris, a ‘basic pleasure model’ robot, goes on to become a brutal and cold killer.

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Sometimes, however, humans are the biggest villains. In AI, directed by Steven Spielberg, prostitute robot Gigolo Joe – played by Jude Law – is framed for murder and later killed.