Abstract

Our digital devices are beginning to talk to us. They offer directions, answer questions, obey commands, translate between languages, and even engage in “bedroom talk.” Moreover, they are beginning to hold conversations with us. They seem to empathize with our emotions and respond accordingly. They ask us questions as well as simply answer our questions and supply information. When these capabilities are combined with a realistic sexy human-like robotic body, the result is a sex doll or sex robot, depending on the sophistication of this humanoid being. This chapter examines the progression of these devices from simple translation and chatbot programs to complex interactive robots. I assess the state of the art in these devices and offer some cautions and concerns.