Technology has invaded every area of the human being, including sexuality. After expanding our vocabulary of sexual orientations with terms like demisexual or pansexual, it is time to include the word that defines all those people whose sexual appetite is satisfied only by technology.
It’s about the ‘ digisexuals’. A group of researchers from the University of Manitoba, in Canada, argue in an article, published by the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy, the rise of this new sexual trend.
“As sexual technologies advance, their adoption will grow and more and more people will come to identify as ‘digiexual’, that is, people whose primary sexual identity comes from the use of technology “, according to Professor Neil McCarthur, director of the Center of Professional and Applied Ethics of the Canadian university.
As detailed in the article, people will form an intense connection with their fellow robots , who will be tailor-made to satisfy people’s desires and will be able to do things impossible for other humans to do.
“Many people will find that their experiences with this technology are perfectly integrated with their sexual identity and some will prefer that they direct their sexual interactions, ” he says. “There is no doubt that sexbots are very close.”
Although it is still a nascent technology, sex robots are already programmed with artificial intelligence and equipped with body sensors that respond to touch. They can even be customized to look like the person you want: an ex or a crush.
There are already sex robots capable of performing up to 50 automatic positions; others even have conversational skills. In addition, it is expected that by the 2020s, sex robots will already be able to acquire walking skills, to be included as companions in social events.
In April 2017, a Chinese artificial intelligence engineer, Zheng Jiajia, 31, married a robot that he built himself after failing to find a human wife.
Ethical implications
Robots are already on the way to replacing 80% of the jobs done by humans. Will they also replace human relationships?
Sociologists and doctors hold conflicting positions about ‘digiexuals’. In the article, the researchers detail that psychotherapists will need to be prepared to address the challenges, benefits, and problems of this new type of sexual orientation .
What is certain is that human sexuality has an important affective component and it will be necessary to analyze whether the relationship with sexbots could be beneficial or not for the emotional health of the individual.
As this new era of ‘digisexuals’ begins to spread, it will be necessary to create an ethical, social, and legal framework to accommodate this group.
But, at the moment there are few guidelines to help people make informed decisions regarding participation in technology-based activities of any kind, and especially those related to sexuality. Therefore, a framework is imperative to understand the nature of ‘digisexuality’ and how to approach it.
Image Credit: Willyam Bradberry
Article reference: ‘The rise of digisexuality: therapeutic challenges and possibilities’. Neil McArthur & Markie LC Twist. Pages 1-11 | Published online: 17 Nov 2017. Download citation: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2017.1397950
