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Home > Sex Tech > The Artificial Companions of Your Wet Dreams—or Broken Promises?

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Home›Dating & Relationships›The Artificial Companions of Your Wet Dreams—or Broken Promises?

The Artificial Companions of Your Wet Dreams—or Broken Promises?

By M. Christian
February 17, 2025
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0

Now more than ever, it’s important to separate hype from reality

Erotic, romantic, emotionally supportive, or merely amusingly flirty chatbots may have made some truly mind-bogglingly impressive leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, but the physical side of the artificial companion equation is clearly dragging behind—or is that about to change?

Quite a few excited, maybe over-excited, journalists seem to think so, repeatedly heralding a bright future of fully functional, completely autonomous, AI-equipped next-generation robots.

In a time when technological hyperbole seems to be the rule of the land, we can’t help but wonder, are these enthusiastic reports factual or fantastical?

Artificial companions or tomorrow—today?

A recent Jumpstart Magazine article is a good example of science fiction as opposed to actual science reporting, beginning with the rousing subtitle, “The age of robot sidekicks is here. They are smarter, friendlier, and ready to help you.”

Skipping to the second of the five artificial companions that’s supposed to change the world for the better, unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), TCL Electronics’s Ai Me is a portable, customizable, and flat-out adorable little companion bot.

RECOMMENDED READ: Futurologist’s 2015 Sexbot Prediction: Laughably off Base or Surprisingly Accurate?

Equipped with expressive camera eyes and what some might feel is a disturbingly childlike voice, Ai Me’s sensors allow it to perceive its immediate environment and, through its onboard AI, describe it as well—making it not just a friendly little companion and entertainment system but also a security system.

So far, so good, but though Ai Me’s unquestionably adorable, it seems nothing more than a child’s electronic toy than a bona fide robotic artificial companion with gimmicks and gadgets we’ve already seen a million times over.

Pet me, love me?

The same is true for Elephant Robotics’ metaAnimals, a line of robotic kittens and puppies also shown at CES.  As with Ai Me, they don’t appear to be mechanically advanced, with a decidedly limited range of motion or expressiveness.  

According to Elephant Robotics, what sets them apart is their onboard Large Learning Model software, which enables them to learn from and adapt to their owner’s needs and interests.

Begging the question, why not get a flesh and blood pet?  Sure, metaAnimals could be a great option for allergy sufferers, but as far as emotionally fulfilling companions go, they simply can’t compare to the real thing.

No sex, please, we’re a robot

Ironically, Realbotix’s CES announcement of moving away from developing and selling sex-compatible companions—thankfully leaving fully functional artificial companions in the hands of their Abyss Creations, RealDoll division—which we covered not long ago—is next on Jumpstart’s list.

Why ironically? As we discussed, Realbotix’s decision is a step backward for artificial companions, robbing their owners of the ability to connect on a deep, and sexually satisfying, level.

Hype is all you need

Let’s pass over LG’s Self-Driving AI Home Hub as Jumpstart might consider it an up-and-coming artificial companion.  It’s little more than another AI-equipped toy, whose not-at-all anthropomorphic shape would make it extremely difficult, if not flat-out-impossible, to form any sort of emotional or—unless it’s a specific kink—sexual connection.

Bringing us back around to the first, and as I’ll soon explain, also the last so-called promising artificial companion: Tesla’s Optimus.

As anyone already familiar with Musk’s string of broken promises—from autonomous taxis to his Boring Company, not to mention the dozens of others too many to name—knows he’s about as far away from reputable as you can get.  

Disconnect described Musk’s penchant for self-serving or, more accurately, self-deceiving exaggeration well, “Elon Musk got used to getting by with bold statements and flashy visuals that might never go anywhere,” adding, “His fall can’t come soon enough, but will open more space for a future that looks nothing like the one he has in mind.”

Even if Optimus would, by some miracle, become a reality, its cold, brutally unfriendly design would appeal to anyone in search of an aesthetically attractive, sexually interesting artificial companion.

Don’t rush the future

Articles like Jumpstart’s may not seem egregiously inaccurate—simply a rehash of a couple of CES-related press releases with a click-baitish bow on top, but, similar to Musk’s deceptiveness, they might end up doing more harm than good, misinforming people about what a genuine artificial companion could and should be.

Ideally, that’s not just a hodge-podge of AI and clumsy mechanics but something capable of meeting a person’s emotional, physical, and, yes, sexual needs—and most of all, an achievable, realistic promise rather than cheap, shallow, manipulative fantasy.

Image Sources: Depositphotos

Tagsartificialcompanionsrobotsartificialintelligencesexbots

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.
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