How VR/AR Could Dial Sexual Intimacy To Eleven and Beyond
Getting to know you, getting to know all about you—through technology
Amid what appears to be an ever-growing backdrop of anti-sextech decriers, clinical psychologist Marianne Brandon, Ph.D. writes for Psychology Today while artificial intelligence Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) headsets may provide visually exciting new sexual possibilities, it’s their ability to “—read your facial expressions, voice, and body language, allowing digital lovers or sex partners to respond in ways that are perceived as deepening the connection.”
In other words, AR/VR might, as she very directly states, help “Herald the next chapter of human intimacy.”
You see me
As with most new technologies, whether sexual or otherwise, it doesn’t take a great deal of effort to find those who frequently and vehemently disagree with Dr. Brandon’s optimism.
Case in point, the Australian Men’s Health Clinic bluntly claims, “The heightened sensations stemming from watching VR porn can make the experience of vanilla sex less pleasurable. This can result in erectile dysfunction. It can negatively affect your intimate relationship as you may not get excited or get hard during sex with your partner.”
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Not unsurprisingly, the Begin Again Institute is another VR denouncer, claiming, “By removing the screen between you and your imaginary sexual experience, and creating frequency and novelty in pornography viewing, virtual reality pornography will likely lead to more sexual addiction.”
However, it’s worth noting both fail to cite any sources and, most tellingly, the former sells a range of ED treatments while the latter sells anti-addiction counseling services. Plus the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR doesn’t include sex or porn addiction as a valid concern.
I see you
Dr. Brandon, on the other hand, views AI-fitted AR/VR hardware as largely positive when it comes to making it easier for people to emotionally and sexually connect with others:
VR and AR are quickly moving beyond gaming and entertainment, becoming playgrounds for sexual exploration and connection. On VR platforms, people can meet up in private, immersive rooms designed for flirting, erotic roleplay, or even sex. AR dating apps are starting to let users see potential matches’ sexual preferences or shared kinks as digital cues floating above them in a social situation like a bar or concert, making it easier to break the ice or find a compatible partner.
Not to deflate Dr. Brandon’s optimism, but she is describing a level of technological sophistication we’ve yet to achieve. Although there are signs, such as the phenomenal speed at which AI has evolved from a quirky novelty to one that is difficult to distinguish from real human interactivity.
Likewise, Apple’s Vision Pro’s exorbitant price tag may have kept it from being as popular as it could have been. We’re beginning to see far more affordable alternatives, so it’s a safe bet that her vision of AR dating may be with us in a few short years.
We see each other
Haptic tech—the ability to feel or perhaps even someday taste, smell, and so forth while immersed in an augmented or virtual environment—is another future breakthrough she anticipates—and is similarly one of those not-if-but-when steps forward.
The core of Dr. Brandon’s article isn’t hardware or the software running on it but how augmented and virtual reality are actually about improving personal and sexual communication, “These technologies promise to help us cultivate empathy by letting us literally see through another’s eyes, enable creative sexual expression and new relationship structures, and make long-distance love feel truly close.”
With such an apparent plethora of arguably dubious anti-AR/VR sex “experts,” it’s easy to forget beneath their flashy-and-dazzlely sextech curtain, both technologies are pretty gosh darned simple.
After all, they are essentially just a pair of miniature television displays—semi-transparent in the case of AR and opaque in the case of VR—positioned over the wearer’s eyes.
So, though Brandon might be jumping the gun when it comes to what AR/VR can do right now, we would say she’s right to be passionately hopeful about sextech innovations on the immediate horizon that promise to give us a world filled with amazing new methods in which to share our desires and, best of all, truly listen to other people’s sexual needs—and wants.
Image Sources: Depositphotos
