Sex Robot Manufacturing Is in Need of an Ethical Upgrade
The industry should look to the feminist pornography movement to create a more equitable future.
Concerns about robot control and ownership are socially crafted ideas that can be easily changed if people think straight.
As more and more robots that behave and act as human beings come out, people will start to see the moral error in controlling or owning them.
It is definitely true that there is a problem in the context in which sex robots are manufactured, marketed, and utilized. However, this will soon change to give it a more ethical and acceptable approach.
Drawing from the feminist pornography movement
An excellent example of a similar scenario is the story of the “feminist pornography movement.”
The pornography subculture advocated for non-subordinating or derogatory pornographic representations of women. To achieve this, they relied on three main approaches:
- Promote change of pornographic content from the male gaze to pieces that depict a diverse range of forms and activities.
- Change how pornography is produced to make it more inclusive and ethical for female actors.
- Change how it is utilized or consumed by creating a network of female sex outlets as well as discussion groups for interpreting and marketing the content.
Sex robots beyond the binary
All indications show that such a strategy or at least something similar could soon be applied in the case of sex robots.
Responsible companies are working hard to change the various representational forms of robots to incorporate diverse male, female, and non-binary body shapes.
A wide array of voices
Various movements are also promoting this course by seeking to change the process through which the robots are produced or created, thus promoting a wide array of voices in the process.
Another area that needs redress is the marketing and the use of robots. It can be better.
However, this will require consciousness-raising around issues of gendered inequality and harassment as well as sensitivity to the representational forms that can be affected by this fast-evolving tech.
Image sources: Gerd Altmann, Markus Spiske
