Men’s Only Club: Does the Synthetic Companion Industry Really Have a Sexism Problem?
Is it ignoring women’s desires—or are they being fulfilled in other ways?
Along with page after page of retailers offering increasingly advanced models, Internet searches also tend to pull articles decrying synthetic companions as objectifying women, psychologically harmful, fostering unhealthy relationships, or if beneficial, then the industry itself is biased against the female-identified.
But is this truth or merely opinion, another attempt to demonize the creation, sale, and enjoyment of artificial companions, ignoring the fact that sextech products, anthropomorphized or not, are increasingly popular across the entire gender spectrum?
It’s for them—not us
“Sex robots are aimed at men. I don’t expect them to become common. What’s more common is the development of AI girlfriends and boyfriends,” Kate Devlin told EL PAÍS. Devlin also stated on the With Reason podcast, “Sex robots reflect the situation in Silicon Valley: their technology is designed by men, for men.”
The same article brings up Henry, Realbotix’s decade-old penis-equipped prototype, with a quote from Allison P. Davis writing for New York Magazine, “Henry, if we’re being cruel, is essentially a high-quality dildo attached to a fancy mannequin with a Bluetooth speaker in his head.”
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Yet EL PAÍS and Davis neglect to mention that though Henry was never put into production, Realdoll currently boasts a respectable percentage of male-appearing models. And even these premium-quality, AI-equipped synthetic companions are little more than sexually realistic dolls fitted with wireless speaker systems.
What is or isn’t a companion?
Critics of sexbot sexism also appear fixated on physical bodies, that is, products made to resemble human beings, obviously ignoring the sextech boom, which is expected to reach nearly 35 billion dollars in the next four years.
Yet no one seems to be wagging their fingers at those millions of sextoys for being designed, built, and purchased by female-identified persons.
So why isn’t the sextech industry similarly chastised for preferring one gender expression over the other?
It’s important to question why those who find emotional and sexual satisfaction with synthetic companions are too often condemned while others who enjoy more abstract playthings escape charges of sexism.
What is or isn’t physical?
Artificial intelligence is already utterly transforming how we relate to technology and each other. From the rise of friendly, flirty, and frisky Chinese chatbots to entering into polyamorous relationships with next-gen digital companions, AI could be for anyone looking for lusty experiences or loving relationships.
But, again, AI hasn’t been on the receiving end of gender-specific outrage, though in all fairness, chatbots and their ilk have gotten flack for—like nearly every sort of synthetic companion—for encouraging misogyny.
Case in point: Futurity’s report on Replika states, “A grisly trend has emerged there: users who create AI partners, act abusively toward them and post the toxic interactions online.”
Even if this behavior is common as either potentially or inherently harmful while ignoring countless others who engage with their AI with kindness and consideration, practicing tolerance, respect, and empathy—especially toward female-identified persons.
What we don’t know can harm us
Though we question whether digital or physical synthetic companions may or may not promote sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and a host of other socially malignant attitudes in their users, the inarguable reality is we don’t know.
Unfortunately, sexual technology is moving far faster than the research necessary to make these determinations. But it’s undeniable that shaming an entire industry, and its consumers, as intrinsically cruel, harmful, disrespectful, or just plain wrong creates toxic conditions of denial, resentment, and anger—in short, exactly what they were accused of in the first place.
Does the synthetic companion industry have a sexism problem? Possibly, but until we know for sure—and hopefully eventually understand what it and today’s sextech revolution could mean for human sexuality going forward—let’s promote understanding, thoughtfulness, and compassion rather than resorting to inflammatory and ill-thought-out accusations.
Image Sources: Depositphotos
