Future of Sex
tagline
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Policing Intimacy: AI Companion Apps Are Removing NSFW Features, and People Are Not Happy

  • The Future of Sex Is Non-binary Genital Surgery That Advances Bodily Agency

  • Is Equity Crowdfunding the Future of Sex Tech Investment?

  • Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ Streaming Relaunches

  • Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

  • Sex Tech Mixers, Hackathons & Conferences [UPDATED]

Future of Sex is supported by our readers. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Home > Sex Tech > Interactive Tech Could End Loneliness Forever

Sex Tech
Home›Sex Tech›Interactive Tech Could End Loneliness Forever

Interactive Tech Could End Loneliness Forever

By M. Christian
July 24, 2021
424
0

Advancements in artificial intelligence mean technology-based companionship is a real possibility.

Harmony the realdoll ai sex robot moans at avn 2020.

Americans are lonely, and they have been for years.

As it turns out, the sex tech and tech industries may hold the keys to ending the loneliness pandemic: robots, sexbots, and artificial companions.

A pandemic of loneliness

A report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that a quarter of Americans over 65 are socially isolated, and a different study revealed that young people have been hit especially hard by loneliness during the pandemic.

Although the pandemic drew attention to the dire state that many lonely people find themselves in, this problem is not new.

But what causes loneliness, and how could a sexbot, for example, help overcome this problem?

The social isolation spiral

Person sitting alone

To understand how interactive tech could combat loneliness, it is first essential to understand where the feeling comes from.

The University of Chicago’s Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience’s Dr. Louise Hawkley and Dr. John Cacioppo posit that social isolation is an emotional feedback loop.

When a person feels isolated, they develop negative associations with social interactions. This negativity tends “to elicit behaviors from others that confirm the lonely persons’ expectations,” leading the person to feel further isolated.

This suggests that the key to curbing social isolation is to help lonely people feel emotionally secure and safe, and to reduce their fear of social rejection.

This is where robots and artificial intelligence (AI) designed to provide companionship could lend a hand.

Sexbots built for companionship

The last decade has seen an explosion of companionship-driven innovation by robot, sexbot, and AI developers.

Realdoll [NSFW], for example, has been trying to make their sex dolls as physically and emotionally realistic as possible, notably through the use of AI.

Although the sex dolls are intended to be used sexually, the capabilities of the AI software are heading in an exceptionally interactive direction.

Befriending a VR projection

Hybri VR companionship

The crowdfunded app Hybri, an AI and virtual reality (VR) experience, is building a mixed-media tool to combat loneliness. The app allows users to “create a friend or romantic partner” that comes to life through VR.

Players operate Hybri through hand and voice control. They can also choose between an augmented reality (AR) or VR experience, depending on the hardware they have available to them.

Characters built through Hybri have customizable personalities and physical features, and can carry on conversations.

Hologram companionship

Gatebox hologram

The Japanese company Gatebox also sells AI-driven companions. The company’s eponymous product is a device that projects an interactive hologram of a customizable figure.

Last year, Gatebox offered a work-from-home specific companion to its employees. The hologram encouraged timeliness and offered light-hearted chat.

And back in March, Gatebox announced an almost lifesize version of the popular device.

Looking ahead

With each technical advancements, AI-driven companionship becomes more and more feasible.

If, as Dr. Hawkley and Dr. Cacioppo believe, social isolation is a feedback loop fueled by negative interactions, then interactive tech could help rehabilitate people who have been conditioned to view the outside world negatively.

These AI-driven devices are designed to please — although they don't yet offer the full range of human social ability, they can offer comfort and positive interactions.

But the question remains: will people embrace emotional connections of the digital variety?

Image sources: Jenna Owsianik, Andrei!, Hybri, Gatebox

M. Christian

M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex.

Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.”

Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian.

As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2.

M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise.

Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex.

If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro.

M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.

M.Christian's Books (Sizzler Editions)
M.Christian's Audiobooks
Previous Article

Sex Tech Is Transforming Sex Education for ...

Next Article

Sex Tech News: Erika Lust’s Audio Erotica, ...

Related articles More from author

  • RobotsSex Tech

    How Will Artificial Intelligence Transform the Future of Sex?

    October 10, 2019
    By Sponsored Post
  • Sex Tech

    OMGYes Wants to Break the Taboo Around Women’s Pleasure

    February 14, 2017
    By Alice Bonasio
  • Actress Gal Gadot wears a dark top and smiles wearing red lipstick.
    RobotsSex Tech

    Actors’ Union Says It Will ‘Fight Back’ Against Porn Deepfakes

    May 15, 2018
    By M. Christian
  • Sex Tech

    The Best Teledildonic Sex Toys on the Market for Men

    June 2, 2017
    By Jon Pressick
  • You could one day have a sexy robot copy of Angelina Jolie.
    Sex Tech

    The Future of Celebrity Sex Robots Is Upon Us

    January 19, 2017
    By M. Christian
  • penis sizes and types as food varieties
    Sex Tech

    Will 2022 Be the Year of the Penis for Sex Tech?

    December 27, 2021
    By Jenna Owsianik

  • A steamy scene for the video game The Witches
    Sex TechVirtual Sex & EntertainmentVirtual Sex

    Sex in Video Games: Landmark Moments

  • Play hentai sex games from Nutaku as part of Plexstorm's gaming contest.
    Virtual Sex & EntertainmentVirtual Sex

    Hentai Gaming Contest: Stream Your Sexy Gameplay to Win Cash Prizes

  • Venus of Willendorf
    Sex Tech

    Sex Tech News: Women Take the C-Suite, Tinder in the West Bank & Censored Museums Join OnlyFans

Virtual Lust is a 3D interactive sex game.
3DXChat
Discover the best virtual sex parties and 3D sex worlds.
  • TOP REVIEWS

  • Woman in blue lighting with yellow binary code projected across her face.

    Policing Intimacy: AI Companion Apps Are Removing NSFW Features, and People Are Not Happy

  • Porn for TV logo (computer screen graphic with pink u shapes and a mouse cursor).

    Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ ...

  • The Blyynd logo with two screens. One has a chat screen and one has the sexual desire options listed.

    Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • FirmTech Tech Ring

    A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

  • What Vibrating Buttplug Support in a Video Game Taught Us About the Future of Webcam ...

  • Is Virtual Reality Dating Going Mainstream?

  • Sex Doll Brothels: Reality vs. Expectation

  • Replika AI Chatbot saved human marriage

    How Replika’s AI Chatbot Saved One Man’s Human Marriage

  • Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

    Replika Romance: Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

  • The future of sex is mind-reading AI that reveals your deepest, most unconscious fantasies

    The Future of Sex Is Mind-Reading AI That Reveals Your Deepest, Most Unconscious Fantasies

  • Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

    Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

  • R/gonewildaudio's gender inclusive audio erotica

    /R/gonewildaudio: An Array of Free, Inclusive and Categorized Audio Erotica

  • Fantasy Inspired Sex Toy by Tentickle Toys

    Out of This World: How Fantasy-Inspired Sex Toys Could Be the Next Big Trend

  • Virtual Sex in the Metaverse

    Virtual Sex Will Soon Become a Reality in the Metaverse

  • OnlyBans Game Play As A Sex Worker

    Play as a Sex Worker in New Onlybans Game

  • Black chess pieces laying across an orange background.

    Teledildonics and Chess: The Unexpected Possibilities That Could Enhance Sex

  • A couple with a woman sitting on a man's lap. They each are holding the Tenuto 2 with one hand.

    Tenuto 2 Erection-Enhancing Vibrator Rises To The Occasion

  • Woman looking at a laptop in a bed. You can see a blurry European city outside of the window.

    Here’s How Often Each European Country Is Searching For Sex Toys Online

  • A Woman Showing Her Smartphone.

    Disclosing Trans-ness on Dating Apps

  • Image of Emma the AI bot.

    Will Young Women of the Future Feel Pressure to Perform Like Robots?

  • Realistic Sex Games

    Review of the Best Sex Games and Most Realistic Sex Simulators of 2021 [UPDATED]

    0
  • Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    Review of the Best Massively Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    0
  • Sex Games for Mac

    The Best Sex Games for Mac

    0
  • foot-fetish-sex-games-girlvania

    Foot Fetish Games That Will Knock Your Socks Off

    0
  • The Best RPG Sex Games of 2021

    0
Fantasy sex game Dream Sex World lets you explore your wildest desires.
Multiplayer sex world Red Light Center continues to impress with its massive userbase and incredible sex graphics.
A blonde and light-skinned love doll face sppears next to the text Go now realdollxthe future is real.
  • 27KFollowers

Like Us on Facebook

Newsletter Subscription

Sign up for our monthly newsletter sharing the very best of the future of sex from our publication and others across the web.

DreamSexWorld offers a stunning XXX 3D world filled with incredibly interactive erotic experiences.

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

RLC_ad_v2

Tweets by @FutureofSex
Future of Sex Report

Follow us

  • Home
  • About
  • ADVERTISE
  • Contribute
  • Story Ideas
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2011 - 2022 Future Exploration Network
This website or its third-party tools use cookies to improve user experience and track affiliate sales. To learn more about why we need to use cookies, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

By clicking the agree button or continuing to browse through the website, you agree to the use of cookies. Accept Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT