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Seksroboty. O pożądaniu, nauce i sztucznej inteligencji
W kultowym serialu „Westworld” opowiadającym historię inteligentnych androidów, odwieczne marzenie ludzkości o sztucznym człowieku w końcu się ziszcza. Spełnia się też złowieszcza przepowiednia Lema i Hawkinga: sztuczna inteligencja to wprawdzie niekończące się możliwości, ale dla człowieka okazują się mordercze. Czy musi tak być? Czy zamiast śmierci technologia nie może nam dostarczyć dobrego seksu?
Kate Devlin z humorem i w błyskotliwy sposób pisze o powstaniu i rozwoju seksrobotów oraz robotów w ogóle. Od mitu o Pigmalionie aż do replikantów z Blade Runnera – idea robota nas jednocześnie przeraża i daje wiele nadziei. Nauka z kolei, te nadzieje i strachy powoli urzeczywistnia.
Autorka pokazuje jak było i jak jest; książka to pogranicze reportażu i futurologii – jednocześnie zahacza o historię techniki, psychologię, socjologię, filozofię, a także… burzliwe dzieje wibratora oraz innych erotycznych zabawek. Bo seks ma tu swoje niebagatelne znaczenie.
Ale jak się okazuje, pożądanie nie ma wymiaru jedynie seksualnego. Chcielibyśmy aby obiekt naszych pragnień był także inteligentny. Pomocny i dbający o nasze potrzeby. Był sztucznym, ale jednak człowiekiem. Dokąd to marzenie nas zaprowadzi? Czy do miejsca gdzie nie będzie już wiadomo co nienaturalne a co prawdziwe? Czy kiedykolwiek robot nas zrozumie? I czy będzie śnił? Na przykład o elektrycznych owcach?
Kate Devlin z humorem i w błyskotliwy sposób pisze o powstaniu i rozwoju seksrobotów oraz robotów w ogóle. Od mitu o Pigmalionie aż do replikantów z Blade Runnera – idea robota nas jednocześnie przeraża i daje wiele nadziei. Nauka z kolei, te nadzieje i strachy powoli urzeczywistnia.
Autorka pokazuje jak było i jak jest; książka to pogranicze reportażu i futurologii – jednocześnie zahacza o historię techniki, psychologię, socjologię, filozofię, a także… burzliwe dzieje wibratora oraz innych erotycznych zabawek. Bo seks ma tu swoje niebagatelne znaczenie.
Ale jak się okazuje, pożądanie nie ma wymiaru jedynie seksualnego. Chcielibyśmy aby obiekt naszych pragnień był także inteligentny. Pomocny i dbający o nasze potrzeby. Był sztucznym, ale jednak człowiekiem. Dokąd to marzenie nas zaprowadzi? Czy do miejsca gdzie nie będzie już wiadomo co nienaturalne a co prawdziwe? Czy kiedykolwiek robot nas zrozumie? I czy będzie śnił? Na przykład o elektrycznych owcach?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2018
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1967 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
September 13, 2018
Robots. Yes. How do I love robots? Let’s count the ways. Well, for the sake of brevity, maybe not, but let’s just say I really, really love robots…although not in the way some of the denizens of this book do. So while I’d love a robot best friend, a robot romantic and/or sexual partner isn’t something that spins my dreams around. In fact once I watched a program about men (and it’s nearly always men) who were trying to find (ok, buy) their perfect robotic mate and they were exactly the sad sack can’t make it with a real woman stereotypes you’d think they’d be. But in whatever way you want to utilize them, let’s face it, robots are the future. They are already all around us (Hi, Alexa) and are getting smarter every day, but they still haven’t nearly reached that level of autonomy and sentience that makes us think of singularity event, terminators and apocalypses. Frankly…I say bring it on. And not just because I’ve just listened to Robots of Gotham on audio, the book where robots did take over. But seriously in this day and age it might be an improvement. The thought of being governed by an artificial intelligence seems infinitely preferable to the inverse of that. But anyway…this book is all about robots and sex, often together, sometimes separately. It gives a comprehensive historical overview of how technology got to where it is now, ponders what’s next, considers sexuality as it evolved over time to be a much more complex multilayered thing than past models, but mainly it contemplates the ethics of robot/person involvements. After all, there are situations and jobs you’d be glad to turn over to robots right now, very practical things like caretaking, assembly, etc. But however lonely the world gets, however much time is spent playing games, interacting via social media or in virtual reality…or not interacting at all and shutting the world out Japanese style…there’s still a significant taboo about having a robot mate. Possibly because technology is as of yet far from perfect, still talking a semiautonomous preprogrammed cranium upon a blow up doll body more often than not. Possibly because such a union would usher in a brave new world not everyone’s quite ready to contemplate yet. For me robots…whether it’s to eradicate loneliness, provide essential assistance or even just to hang out…bring it on. Can’t be nearly as disappointing as the flesh bags (or whatever derogatory moniker the robots use to discuss us) and probably definitely smarter than most. But it was still very interesting to read about all the psychological, ethical and social implications of such an evolution. And the book was very entertaining, the author’s funny, erudite, very feminist, opinionated and clever…so that should give you an idea of what sort of perspective you’re getting here. Very enjoyable read, not so much educating (knew a lot of it already and also really wish there were photos) as enlightening and tons of food for thought. Science, sex and robots…how can you not love that combination. I read it in less than a day, great read. And now back to dreaming of technology finally matching up to my imagination. Thanks Netgalley.
May 25, 2019
found myself forcing myself to go through this because i kept waiting for it to get better and expecting some good information about a super interesting topic, but nope. i hated her voice and the (not funny) jokes, and more importantly i HATED how much history or context was involved in almost every single chapter (except the last few) that just felt so irrelevant. like, why was it necessary to go so in depth into what the romans or greeks did, to explain what AI/ML is and how it functions, and to explain rape fantasies? her opinion was also everywhere - she sometimes dedicated pages to largely irrelevant topics (i.e., rape fantasies) just to talk about how she felt about them, and explain how she's a feminist, etc etc and I'm like what does this have to do with anything?? it felt like i was reading through her research notes + relevant interviews/experiences + a lot of random comments on this topic rather than a thoughtful, well put together, educational book. extremely disappointing, would not recommend. the 2 stars was because there was some interesting info in there (esp in the later chapters) that i found other sources to find out more from.
December 13, 2022
قبل أن يدخل في الموضوع، يأخذك الكتاب في لفّة طويلة في تاريخ علاقتنا كبشر مع التكنولوجيا: كيف شكلت وعينا، استجابت لرغباتنا وغرائزنا منذ فجر الحضارة، وفي تاريخ ألعابنا الجنسية كذلك، ليستعرض أخيراً تطور الآلة الذكية كرفيق؛ عاطفي ووجداني وجنسي لإنسان القرن الحادي والعشرين، مؤكداً: نعم يمكن وسيحصل لا محالة! أما كيف ستتطور خوارزميات الذكاء الاصطناعي لتتعلم التعاطف والحب والرغبة.. فسنعرف إذا امتد بنا العمر.
تستعين المؤلفة بأبحاثها الشخصية -بإسهاب ممل-، ودراسات فريق عريض من الباحثين، فضلاً عن مقابلات مع مطوري الروبوتات الجنسية في أوروبا وأمريكا واليابان لتستكشف آفاق هذه السوق الواعدة وعلاقتها مع تطور (تدهور؟) العلاقات البشرية في الزمن القادم.
في أجزاء منه، يبدو الكتاب مغرقاً في الطرح الفلسفي: ما تعريف الذكاء؟ ما تعريف الحب؟ ما الذي يعتبر جنسياً.. عُرفاً وقانوناً؟ وفي أجزاء أخرى يبدو معتالاً على المرجع المعروف Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships. ،والذي بشّر بأن الإنسان سيحب الآلة ويتزوجها بحلول العام 2050.
ومع أن المؤلفة تناصر وبشدة مبدأ العلاقة الحميمية بين الإنسان والآلة كتطور طبيعي للأمور، لكن يحسب لها أنها استعرضت حجج الفرق المعارضة التي ترى في هذا الابتكار إساءة للمرأة -مع وجود طلب قوي على الروبوتات الجنسية الرجالية- ولمؤسسة الزوجية وللقيمة البشرية.. أو تهديداً لمستقبل الدعارة (!)
مع ذلك، لا تملك قرب نهاية الكتاب إلا اعتبار الطرح بمجمله بمثابة "أزمة عالم أول"، بعيد عن هموم البشر الملحّة. ربما باستثناء أولئك الذين يعانون من رهاب حقيقي من الآخرين، أو خذلهم الرفيق البشري خذلاناً مبرماً، لتمثل لهم الآلة الذكية المفصّلة وفق رغباتهم الدفينة ملجأ أخيراً لنيل القبول.. أو الحب.. إن صحت التسمية.
تستعين المؤلفة بأبحاثها الشخصية -بإسهاب ممل-، ودراسات فريق عريض من الباحثين، فضلاً عن مقابلات مع مطوري الروبوتات الجنسية في أوروبا وأمريكا واليابان لتستكشف آفاق هذه السوق الواعدة وعلاقتها مع تطور (تدهور؟) العلاقات البشرية في الزمن القادم.
في أجزاء منه، يبدو الكتاب مغرقاً في الطرح الفلسفي: ما تعريف الذكاء؟ ما تعريف الحب؟ ما الذي يعتبر جنسياً.. عُرفاً وقانوناً؟ وفي أجزاء أخرى يبدو معتالاً على المرجع المعروف Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships. ،والذي بشّر بأن الإنسان سيحب الآلة ويتزوجها بحلول العام 2050.
ومع أن المؤلفة تناصر وبشدة مبدأ العلاقة الحميمية بين الإنسان والآلة كتطور طبيعي للأمور، لكن يحسب لها أنها استعرضت حجج الفرق المعارضة التي ترى في هذا الابتكار إساءة للمرأة -مع وجود طلب قوي على الروبوتات الجنسية الرجالية- ولمؤسسة الزوجية وللقيمة البشرية.. أو تهديداً لمستقبل الدعارة (!)
مع ذلك، لا تملك قرب نهاية الكتاب إلا اعتبار الطرح بمجمله بمثابة "أزمة عالم أول"، بعيد عن هموم البشر الملحّة. ربما باستثناء أولئك الذين يعانون من رهاب حقيقي من الآخرين، أو خذلهم الرفيق البشري خذلاناً مبرماً، لتمثل لهم الآلة الذكية المفصّلة وفق رغباتهم الدفينة ملجأ أخيراً لنيل القبول.. أو الحب.. إن صحت التسمية.
December 22, 2018
Could be a good overview of the topic for those who are brand new to it, but then again the topic itself isn't certain. Are we talking about sex toys through history, or are we talking about robots? This book doesn't seem to know exactly what it wants to explore or say, which is mirrored in the tone; too jovial feel academic, too statistical to be conversational. Some useful information and poignant questions, but it left me wanting, if you will.
December 29, 2018
A quippy, personal tour of the world of sex dolls
Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots, by Kate Devlin, is a mostly pleasant but somewhat superficial romp through an interesting landscape of sex dolls and the (mostly) men who love them.
Devlin is a fine writer, and is clearly knowledgeable about the topic, but focuses on chronicling her personal journey of discovery, the sympathetic people she meets and the curious places she finds herself in — so get ready for lots of descriptions of factories and warehouses, synthetic breasts and penises, sex doll conventions and developers, and squirmy discomfort from friends when she talks about her research specialty.
I’d love to see her either tackle this topic in a much more rigorous, focused and less personal way or commit to the other path, and make it all about the quirky interesting people who love their sex dolls, the porn stars who model for them and the developers who promise sexual companions and instead deliver oversized “fleshlights” for slightly enhanced masturbation.
By following the middle road, the book felt like a long, mildly amusing blog post surveying the sex doll industry instead of expert evaluation of this fascinating moment when science and sex are coming together in an interesting way. It felt too shallow to take seriously, not salacious enough to read like a guilty pleasure and not nuanced enough to make much of a lasting impression. And since the author peppered the book with clever-ish, witty observations (“try everything once, except incest and folk dancing…”) it felt like she was trying too hard for humor which kept reminding me with a jolt that she was trying to be clever.
What I hoped for was a more scholarly look at the cognitive characteristics of attachment — to animate and inanimate objects — as well as the risks and challenges of developing artificial intelligence, or AI, that can approximate desire and emotional attachment along with some informed speculation on where this current trajectory will take society (and should we be fearful or hopeful) as we increasingly find solace, empathy and sexual relief in the company of our devices.
And while these topics are acknowledged, they are by no means excavated or explored satisfactorily. In fact, the closest Devlin come to staking out her own territory was in writing about the design of sex dolls as a proxy for the objectification of women. And also when she focused on what it might mean for sex crimes and rape fantasies when such dolls become more commonplace. But even here, she shies away from really even having much of an opinion, other than what most of us already suspect — these are complicated issues that will require more data before we can draw any conclusions. And she also has a running thread of how the current crop of sex dolls are male fantasy objects and wouldn’t it be interesting to think beyond big boobs and willing mouths to what sexual satisfaction with a robot could look like. Well yes, but that’s not happening, and I wanted to know why, in her opinion, that’s the case.
Still there were plenty of interesting nuggets scattered throughout:
“Unintended biases can be a big problem for machine-learning algorithms. The computer will pick up all our habits, good and bad.”
“…for many marginalized sexual subculture groups the Internet is an important place of refuge, strengthening self-identity. Where there is strength in numbers, there is increased visibility, and with increased visibility can come a movement for acceptance.”
“A neurophysical study in 2016 showed that people showed compassion when a robot vacuum cleaner was verbally harassed. Other research indicted a surge of empathy in humans when they saw images of a robot’s finger being cut.”
It was a fun, fast read with some interesting factoids about the history of sex devices sprinkled in, but there’s much more I’d like to learn about this topic.
Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots, by Kate Devlin, is a mostly pleasant but somewhat superficial romp through an interesting landscape of sex dolls and the (mostly) men who love them.
Devlin is a fine writer, and is clearly knowledgeable about the topic, but focuses on chronicling her personal journey of discovery, the sympathetic people she meets and the curious places she finds herself in — so get ready for lots of descriptions of factories and warehouses, synthetic breasts and penises, sex doll conventions and developers, and squirmy discomfort from friends when she talks about her research specialty.
I’d love to see her either tackle this topic in a much more rigorous, focused and less personal way or commit to the other path, and make it all about the quirky interesting people who love their sex dolls, the porn stars who model for them and the developers who promise sexual companions and instead deliver oversized “fleshlights” for slightly enhanced masturbation.
By following the middle road, the book felt like a long, mildly amusing blog post surveying the sex doll industry instead of expert evaluation of this fascinating moment when science and sex are coming together in an interesting way. It felt too shallow to take seriously, not salacious enough to read like a guilty pleasure and not nuanced enough to make much of a lasting impression. And since the author peppered the book with clever-ish, witty observations (“try everything once, except incest and folk dancing…”) it felt like she was trying too hard for humor which kept reminding me with a jolt that she was trying to be clever.
What I hoped for was a more scholarly look at the cognitive characteristics of attachment — to animate and inanimate objects — as well as the risks and challenges of developing artificial intelligence, or AI, that can approximate desire and emotional attachment along with some informed speculation on where this current trajectory will take society (and should we be fearful or hopeful) as we increasingly find solace, empathy and sexual relief in the company of our devices.
And while these topics are acknowledged, they are by no means excavated or explored satisfactorily. In fact, the closest Devlin come to staking out her own territory was in writing about the design of sex dolls as a proxy for the objectification of women. And also when she focused on what it might mean for sex crimes and rape fantasies when such dolls become more commonplace. But even here, she shies away from really even having much of an opinion, other than what most of us already suspect — these are complicated issues that will require more data before we can draw any conclusions. And she also has a running thread of how the current crop of sex dolls are male fantasy objects and wouldn’t it be interesting to think beyond big boobs and willing mouths to what sexual satisfaction with a robot could look like. Well yes, but that’s not happening, and I wanted to know why, in her opinion, that’s the case.
Still there were plenty of interesting nuggets scattered throughout:
“Unintended biases can be a big problem for machine-learning algorithms. The computer will pick up all our habits, good and bad.”
“…for many marginalized sexual subculture groups the Internet is an important place of refuge, strengthening self-identity. Where there is strength in numbers, there is increased visibility, and with increased visibility can come a movement for acceptance.”
“A neurophysical study in 2016 showed that people showed compassion when a robot vacuum cleaner was verbally harassed. Other research indicted a surge of empathy in humans when they saw images of a robot’s finger being cut.”
It was a fun, fast read with some interesting factoids about the history of sex devices sprinkled in, but there’s much more I’d like to learn about this topic.
November 3, 2018
This book was a disappointment due to the fact that the primarily concerns of the author appear to be of (feminist) issues and impacts of new sex technologies of today and very near future, and not their creative destructive nature in the foreseeable future, the intention that the author reveals at the very end of the book. While I found interesting the archaeology of sex toys in the early parts of the book, there actually are only minimal discussions of the technological aspect of sex robots themselves.
Realistic sex robots (to which, in my eyes, none of the kinds that currently exist and are mentioned in the book belong... yet) promise to be extremely disruptive due to its implication not just on the aspect of sexual expression and pleasure but also its impact on social evolution, for which sex/gender is a very essential driver. I think the book comes well short of offering any new insights on topics like that.
For example, rather than digging adequately deeper, the author tends to simply dismiss heteronormative narratives, e.g., traditional marriage. That might please readers who delight in sharing now widely recognized feminist/gender-fluid viewpoints, but it is hardly satisfying to those who seek more nuanced understandings of the situations. The book reads as if the author's feminism occasionally acts as a shackle rather than a lens through which more imaginative insights for the future emerge.
Perhaps all that was meant to be, but from the title of of the book I was expecting more when I pre-ordered the book.
Realistic sex robots (to which, in my eyes, none of the kinds that currently exist and are mentioned in the book belong... yet) promise to be extremely disruptive due to its implication not just on the aspect of sexual expression and pleasure but also its impact on social evolution, for which sex/gender is a very essential driver. I think the book comes well short of offering any new insights on topics like that.
For example, rather than digging adequately deeper, the author tends to simply dismiss heteronormative narratives, e.g., traditional marriage. That might please readers who delight in sharing now widely recognized feminist/gender-fluid viewpoints, but it is hardly satisfying to those who seek more nuanced understandings of the situations. The book reads as if the author's feminism occasionally acts as a shackle rather than a lens through which more imaginative insights for the future emerge.
Perhaps all that was meant to be, but from the title of of the book I was expecting more when I pre-ordered the book.
February 13, 2019
Written exactly how a book on sex robots should be, deeply informative and deeply irreverent.
Highly entertaining read full of wit and intelligence, covering all the aspects of sex robots, from their construction to AI to the implications for society.
There is a strong undercurrent of balanced, sex-positive, feminism running through the book. I loved that, but I suspect it may be a turn off for a lot of idiots... Although they're unlikely to pick up the book in the first place.
Towards the end of the book there is a little too much story telling about events in the author's own life for my taste (I don't care about organising conferences or what events you attended), however, I have often found myself in the minority when disliking this sort of thing in other books. I'm still removing a star for it! I'm certain my star removal will negatively impact her sales...
Read this!
Highly entertaining read full of wit and intelligence, covering all the aspects of sex robots, from their construction to AI to the implications for society.
There is a strong undercurrent of balanced, sex-positive, feminism running through the book. I loved that, but I suspect it may be a turn off for a lot of idiots... Although they're unlikely to pick up the book in the first place.
Towards the end of the book there is a little too much story telling about events in the author's own life for my taste (I don't care about organising conferences or what events you attended), however, I have often found myself in the minority when disliking this sort of thing in other books. I'm still removing a star for it! I'm certain my star removal will negatively impact her sales...
Read this!
November 25, 2018
Although Devlin muses on the philosophical implications of a far-distant future where artificial intelligence, embodied in sex robots among other appliances, will have advanced to functional sentience, she’s more concerned in the here and now. You can’t buy a fembot, but you can buy a vibrator that connects to your smartphone and features a camera at the end (“yes,” clarifies Devlin, “that end”). What if it was hacked? No, really.
I reviewed Turned On for The Tangential.
I reviewed Turned On for The Tangential.
November 15, 2020
Naja, etwas enttäuschend. Obwohl das Buch ein prinzipiell sehr spannendes und zukünftig wichtiges Thema behandelt, sind die tatsächlichen Infos, die ich aus der Lektüre ziehe, eher dünn. Die Struktur - sowohl des ganzen Buches als auch der einzelnen Kapitel - erschließt sich mir nicht, oft werden total irrelevante Beispiele über mehrere Seiten ausgeführt oder viel lange und ausführliche Erklärungen gegeben (bspw. Bindungstheorie oder Maschinelles Lernen).
Es mag an der Übersetzung liegen, aber teilweise ist auch die Sprache recht merkwürdig. Zugute kommt dem Buch, dass es recht kurz ist und halt doch irgendwie mit einem pointierten Resümee endet. Insgesamt wirkt es aber, als ob die Autorin Probleme hatte, ihre Seitenzahl zu erreichen.
Es mag an der Übersetzung liegen, aber teilweise ist auch die Sprache recht merkwürdig. Zugute kommt dem Buch, dass es recht kurz ist und halt doch irgendwie mit einem pointierten Resümee endet. Insgesamt wirkt es aber, als ob die Autorin Probleme hatte, ihre Seitenzahl zu erreichen.
February 6, 2019
Really excellent discussion of the issues from an expert. Smart, funny, informed and well-evidenced, with balanced and thoughtful arguments.
November 22, 2020
(uni reading list)
genuinely such a fascinating and fun read!! highly highly recommend
genuinely such a fascinating and fun read!! highly highly recommend
May 27, 2020
10/10, would recommend.
February 23, 2025
3.5. Really interesting subject matter! Sometimes this book hit upon a super compelling line of thought but wouldn’t explore it any further.. which was frustrating! But overall, very fascinating
August 9, 2019
Gleaned some useful stuff while skimming but this is a good example of why women shouldn't be allowed to write non-fiction books. Yadda yadda feminism yadda yadda here's a lame anecdote, look at me!
January 16, 2020
I was really excited about a book about sexuality and technology from a feminist perspective, but I had to force myself to finish this one. It had a lot of great information in it, and also a lot of what felt like filler. It just wasn't very well paced or organized. The interviews were excellent, but most of them were with people I'd seen interviewed a thousand times as a person interested in sex and technology, and didn't ask any particularly hard-hitting questions. Certain chapters went on too long, for me, about things like myths that contained creatures that weren't robots, and then skimmed over the really fascinating stuff like it wasn't even relevant: the questions that made me want to read a book like this in the first place. What is harm? What is consciousness? Is there an ethics of desire? I didn't come away with much insight on those fronts.
The "live-and-let-live" attitude left me cold, too. It felt a bit simple, and for a feminist take, this book interviewed and cited a lot more men than women on their opinions about the implications of hyperfeminized passive sex dolls and robots. Surely the author could have found someone other than a few drunk straw feminists yelling at her in a pub to offer a rebuttal to all the men who think it's just fine to rape pretend women because it's just pretend. Surely she would have if she'd wanted this to be a really rigorous examination of the topic at hand, but whether she did or not, it wasn't.
The "live-and-let-live" attitude left me cold, too. It felt a bit simple, and for a feminist take, this book interviewed and cited a lot more men than women on their opinions about the implications of hyperfeminized passive sex dolls and robots. Surely the author could have found someone other than a few drunk straw feminists yelling at her in a pub to offer a rebuttal to all the men who think it's just fine to rape pretend women because it's just pretend. Surely she would have if she'd wanted this to be a really rigorous examination of the topic at hand, but whether she did or not, it wasn't.
February 4, 2019
When I first read the review for this book I got very excited. I'm interested in the many ways people engage in sex, and fascinated by the different creations out there for people's pleasure, so this seemed the perfect book to read. The first chapter pulled me in and got me ready to go, only to be followed by chapters discussing what robots are and what love is, sure that's important, but not what I want to know. It got a little better with the discussion of actual sex/companion robots, but after that I slowly lost interest again. She makes great points, she puts a lot of good information and ideas out there to think about, I just got lost in some of her meanderings.
Read
September 24, 2019Well, not really impressed. Why? I didn’t learn anything new and felt there were times when something could have been shared in one paragraph vs. a chapter.
February 15, 2019
A decent exploration of Sex Robots and some of the social consequences and potential of this technology. Kate Devlin comes at the approach with a sex positive open mind which I really appreciate. Some of her outside the box views on what Sex Robots could become are quite interesting and give a great perspective on the potential of this emerging field.
Good exploration of some origins of the idea of sex bots in fiction and what that means. Is it about the robot, the human, subservience or ... what? A lot to think about.
Devlin seems to be a programmer. She gets AI. Get understands the limitations of robotics and comes at it with a very practical view. This isn't a book about a possible future with thinking feeling robots which are indistinguishable from people. While this side of the question certainly interests me, that itself is a very different moral question. These sex bots aren't themselves victims or requiring consent because they are very much machines, and that is fine as it fits with the short term concerns... until everything changes!
Where I take issue with some of what is presented in the book is with the assumed drives behind what makes these. The social is heavily implied as being most or all which dictates the differences between men and women's desires. While this is certainly a part of the picture I don't believe it's the whole thing. There's no consideration of evolutionary psychology. Any difference in interest in sex bots between men and women is chalked up simply to culture rather than very different sex drives between men and women, a fact which is itself essentially dismissed as a myth. The reality is that sex work is very different amongst different genders and only part of this answer can come from social pressures, with the admission of our different animal instincts coming into play.
There's a place for a real exploration of what the ideal bot might look at which is missed. Devlin discusses how the pornofied bots are based on society's assumption of the ideal, which I somewhat agree with, but when discussing porn hub interests she mentions off hand that the top model of a year doesn't fit that dynamic. Here we see that the actual data tells us men prefer something that doesn't fit the assumed ideal, and here we could have a frank conversation about what people do find attractive and how it can lead to a more universally attractive bot, but instead it's all sort of thrown out as a product of society. While I appreciate the idea of making bots a bit more realistic we can also admit that people who are looking for something made to perfection they may want a certain kind of thing and that doesn't need to be "wrong".
Ultimately the sex bot is seen as a tool similar to a vibrator or other toy. This may partly be it but I would like to see some exploration of the emotional need that is filled. If a bot becomes more like a toy it fills some niche. If a bot becomes more like an attentive partner, complete with feigned empathy and more of the illusion of humanity, that fills a huge niche! Yes there is the, contested, uncanny valley but if you look at all of these dating sims and such coming out of Asia they aren't competing with toys. They're appealing to the emotional site by giving users the "Gilfriend Experience".
All in all a good book. I don't mean to harp on it much. It is what it is and it isn't what it isn't. One should not expect a book to be all things. Kate Devlin is a feminist who brings that world view to the table. That view, as common as it is, just happens to bring along a lot of baggage like denying biological behavioural sex differences which makes for an incomplete picture. All around I would recommend it to anyone interested in the topic. As the first book on the issue I've read I don't have much to compare it to.
Good exploration of some origins of the idea of sex bots in fiction and what that means. Is it about the robot, the human, subservience or ... what? A lot to think about.
Devlin seems to be a programmer. She gets AI. Get understands the limitations of robotics and comes at it with a very practical view. This isn't a book about a possible future with thinking feeling robots which are indistinguishable from people. While this side of the question certainly interests me, that itself is a very different moral question. These sex bots aren't themselves victims or requiring consent because they are very much machines, and that is fine as it fits with the short term concerns... until everything changes!
Where I take issue with some of what is presented in the book is with the assumed drives behind what makes these. The social is heavily implied as being most or all which dictates the differences between men and women's desires. While this is certainly a part of the picture I don't believe it's the whole thing. There's no consideration of evolutionary psychology. Any difference in interest in sex bots between men and women is chalked up simply to culture rather than very different sex drives between men and women, a fact which is itself essentially dismissed as a myth. The reality is that sex work is very different amongst different genders and only part of this answer can come from social pressures, with the admission of our different animal instincts coming into play.
There's a place for a real exploration of what the ideal bot might look at which is missed. Devlin discusses how the pornofied bots are based on society's assumption of the ideal, which I somewhat agree with, but when discussing porn hub interests she mentions off hand that the top model of a year doesn't fit that dynamic. Here we see that the actual data tells us men prefer something that doesn't fit the assumed ideal, and here we could have a frank conversation about what people do find attractive and how it can lead to a more universally attractive bot, but instead it's all sort of thrown out as a product of society. While I appreciate the idea of making bots a bit more realistic we can also admit that people who are looking for something made to perfection they may want a certain kind of thing and that doesn't need to be "wrong".
Ultimately the sex bot is seen as a tool similar to a vibrator or other toy. This may partly be it but I would like to see some exploration of the emotional need that is filled. If a bot becomes more like a toy it fills some niche. If a bot becomes more like an attentive partner, complete with feigned empathy and more of the illusion of humanity, that fills a huge niche! Yes there is the, contested, uncanny valley but if you look at all of these dating sims and such coming out of Asia they aren't competing with toys. They're appealing to the emotional site by giving users the "Gilfriend Experience".
All in all a good book. I don't mean to harp on it much. It is what it is and it isn't what it isn't. One should not expect a book to be all things. Kate Devlin is a feminist who brings that world view to the table. That view, as common as it is, just happens to bring along a lot of baggage like denying biological behavioural sex differences which makes for an incomplete picture. All around I would recommend it to anyone interested in the topic. As the first book on the issue I've read I don't have much to compare it to.
July 15, 2019
“Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots” explains how a “centuries-long fascination with the artificial lover endures today,” describing in thoughtful, relatable prose everything from Greek sexual practices (apparently when it came to homoerotic love, “intercrural sex—where one man pushes his penis between the recipient’s thighs—was the preferred form”) to the basics of machine learning to research showing how sex benefits the brain (“They found this out by making male rats have one-night stands. Those rats got a bit anxious but they still reaped the benefits of having sex by showing signs of neural growth. Some male rats got to have long-term relationships with lovely lady rats. These committed rats became less anxious over time and showed even greater neural growth.”). Devlin is always interesting and occasionally quite funny as she muses “about intimacy and technology, computers and psychology” plus “history and archaeology, love and biology” and “the future, both near and distant: science-fiction utopias and dystopias, loneliness and companionship, law and ethics, privacy and community.”
Here are a few representative excerpts:
“I am conflicted: as a woman I want to rail against the perpetuation of objectification—my own work on sex robots is about moving away from idealised human forms—but I am not threatened by these dolls. I’m seeing them as works of art, collectibles, each one carefully crafted, resulting in an artefact that exists not as a human surrogate but as an entity in its own right…. Each individual doll takes up to 18 weeks to make. Everything is done by hand: the colour mixing, the silicone casting, the painting, the finishing … At the end of the production process the dolls are packed into large wooden crates. The crates are unlabelled. ‘I sometimes help the customers with a story to explain the crates to their neighbours,’ says Annette. ‘Usually I suggest they say it’s a grandfather clock.’ …”
“‘What do you know about me?’ McMullen asks [the sex robot]. ‘me is the Internet country code top-level domain for Montenegro.’ True, Harmony. True….”
“I watch a video of Samantha’s booting process. She is literally being turned on.”
Devlin has a clear vision of a future “where the two separate paths of sex toys and sex dolls converge,” moving “away from the idea of the pornified fembot” and toward abstraction that focuses on “giving people a chance at pleasure and happiness where previously they had none” (such as “[t]he couple with mismatching desires, the grieving lover and bereaved father, the spouse with dementia”).
But the road there is rather winding, with a good deal of repetition, a trailing off as the book goes on, and a general disjointedness, all of which can be explained by Devlin’s twin revelations about her process: she wrote an article in 2015 entitled “In defence of sex machines” that went viral, and then, “in the time it took to write this book, sex robot development had a horrible habit of advancing.” In other words, there was a bit of a mad scramble to get all the interesting things she knew about sex machines, as well as the ones she didn’t know, onto paper. The result is four stars for content, a mind, and a personality that clearly could have produced five.
Here are a few representative excerpts:
“I am conflicted: as a woman I want to rail against the perpetuation of objectification—my own work on sex robots is about moving away from idealised human forms—but I am not threatened by these dolls. I’m seeing them as works of art, collectibles, each one carefully crafted, resulting in an artefact that exists not as a human surrogate but as an entity in its own right…. Each individual doll takes up to 18 weeks to make. Everything is done by hand: the colour mixing, the silicone casting, the painting, the finishing … At the end of the production process the dolls are packed into large wooden crates. The crates are unlabelled. ‘I sometimes help the customers with a story to explain the crates to their neighbours,’ says Annette. ‘Usually I suggest they say it’s a grandfather clock.’ …”
“‘What do you know about me?’ McMullen asks [the sex robot]. ‘me is the Internet country code top-level domain for Montenegro.’ True, Harmony. True….”
“I watch a video of Samantha’s booting process. She is literally being turned on.”
Devlin has a clear vision of a future “where the two separate paths of sex toys and sex dolls converge,” moving “away from the idea of the pornified fembot” and toward abstraction that focuses on “giving people a chance at pleasure and happiness where previously they had none” (such as “[t]he couple with mismatching desires, the grieving lover and bereaved father, the spouse with dementia”).
But the road there is rather winding, with a good deal of repetition, a trailing off as the book goes on, and a general disjointedness, all of which can be explained by Devlin’s twin revelations about her process: she wrote an article in 2015 entitled “In defence of sex machines” that went viral, and then, “in the time it took to write this book, sex robot development had a horrible habit of advancing.” In other words, there was a bit of a mad scramble to get all the interesting things she knew about sex machines, as well as the ones she didn’t know, onto paper. The result is four stars for content, a mind, and a personality that clearly could have produced five.
November 21, 2018
Bem, se pegarem neste livro em busca de visões mecânicas libidinosas, desenganem-se. Este livro leva o tema da intersecção entre robots e sexualidade muito a sério. Começa por desmontar a ideia de robots com fins sexuais. Fala-se nisso, mas não se faz, não porque não haja vontade, mas porque a tecnologia ainda não evoluiu o suficiente. O que se faz são bonecas (e também bonecos, não são só homens a mexer nisto) com elevado nível de realismo, alguns mecanismos e nalguns casos, implementações de IA para dar um simulacro de personalidade. Mas, mesmo aqui, o que realmente se produz fica muito aquém do imaginado, ou vendido pelos departamentos de marketing das empresas que manufaturam sex dolls.
A autora vai bem ao fundo no tema (oops, não resisto a duplos sentido). Se a tecnologia é a porta de entrada, o que realmente lhe interessa são os porquês, as razões que nos levam conceber a ideia de relações com máquinas. E aí, as coisas tornam-se interessantes. À partida, robots sexuais podem parecer a epítome das fantasias masculinas: um corpo ideal de voluptuosas formas femininas, que se liga quando se quer e se desliga quando a necessidade biológica fica satisfeita. Na verdade, as razões são muito mais complexas do que a extrapolação de estereótipos. Não que estes estejam ausentes deste campo, é impossível não lhes fugir, nem que seja pelos personagens coloridos que abundam nesta área e que a autora retrata com vários níveis de ironia.
Incapacidade de formar relações, geriatria, ultrapassar questões psicológicas profundas, substitutos sexuais para pessoas com deficiência, são alguns dos campos em que a sexualização das máquinas nos pode ser útil. Soa arrepiante, fica sempre no ar a ideia que iremos preferir a máquina ao ser humano, mas a investigação que a autora cita mostra o oposto. Haverá sempre uma minoria que vê na máquina sexualizada o seu ideal erótico, mas para outros, será um apoio à personalidade.
E é de notar que nisto de taras e manias, a aplicação da regra 34 antecede em muito a internet. A mitologia grega já nos deu os primeiros indícios do fascínio erótico com formas inanimadas. Curiosamente, o mito prende-se com uma mulher que, desgostosa com a perda do seu amado, dá usos a uma estátua dele. Dildos e outros auxiliares eróticos têm um longo historial, a sua ligação digital é apenas a tendência mais recente. Fundamentalmente, este é um livro sóbrio, que foge aos estereótipos. Analisa um tema polémico misturando relato jornalístico e análise académica.
A autora vai bem ao fundo no tema (oops, não resisto a duplos sentido). Se a tecnologia é a porta de entrada, o que realmente lhe interessa são os porquês, as razões que nos levam conceber a ideia de relações com máquinas. E aí, as coisas tornam-se interessantes. À partida, robots sexuais podem parecer a epítome das fantasias masculinas: um corpo ideal de voluptuosas formas femininas, que se liga quando se quer e se desliga quando a necessidade biológica fica satisfeita. Na verdade, as razões são muito mais complexas do que a extrapolação de estereótipos. Não que estes estejam ausentes deste campo, é impossível não lhes fugir, nem que seja pelos personagens coloridos que abundam nesta área e que a autora retrata com vários níveis de ironia.
Incapacidade de formar relações, geriatria, ultrapassar questões psicológicas profundas, substitutos sexuais para pessoas com deficiência, são alguns dos campos em que a sexualização das máquinas nos pode ser útil. Soa arrepiante, fica sempre no ar a ideia que iremos preferir a máquina ao ser humano, mas a investigação que a autora cita mostra o oposto. Haverá sempre uma minoria que vê na máquina sexualizada o seu ideal erótico, mas para outros, será um apoio à personalidade.
E é de notar que nisto de taras e manias, a aplicação da regra 34 antecede em muito a internet. A mitologia grega já nos deu os primeiros indícios do fascínio erótico com formas inanimadas. Curiosamente, o mito prende-se com uma mulher que, desgostosa com a perda do seu amado, dá usos a uma estátua dele. Dildos e outros auxiliares eróticos têm um longo historial, a sua ligação digital é apenas a tendência mais recente. Fundamentalmente, este é um livro sóbrio, que foge aos estereótipos. Analisa um tema polémico misturando relato jornalístico e análise académica.
August 11, 2025
To some extent, Devlin suffered one of the worst cases of bad timing in publishing history. Turned On appeared just before ChatGPT went public, completely upending the way people and computers interact. Devlin's idea of a sex robot seems to be a six foot vibrator, or a sex doll that can moan. Most of the book is devoted to the physicality of robots - how they look and how they move - not their (apparent) intelligence. And to be fair, the idea that engineers would create a computer that can carry on a sexual conversation before they could create a realistic robo-breast would have seemed like nonsense even 10 years ago.
Still, even allowing for that, this is a shallow book. There's a bit of engagement with some obvious philosophical issues - would sex robots lead to objectification? Is it ethical to build a robot that "wants" to be raped, or that resembles a child? - but only framed through Devlin's view ("This philosopher says [X], which I think is wrong"). There's essentially no thought given to what a human-robot relationship would actually look like, or a society of human-robot couples. Would people divorce their robot when a newer model came out? Would a sex robot also be parent to the human's children? Basic questions like these about relationships don't even come up. And there's no consideration to what the limits of a robot personality would be. How human could or should it be? Should a sex robot be able to fall out of love with its human?
Ultimately a very frustrating book, neither deep and academic, nor properly fun and speculative. Its failures are epitomised by the chapter on sex doll users. Although sex doll users are stereotyped as antisocial loners, the ones Devlin talked to were open and sociable. So, she concludes, fears that sex robot users would become withdrawn from society are unwarranted. Sure, possible. But the more likely possibility - that by definition, she can only talk to unusually extroverted individuals (most people don't invite strangers to their homes to chat about their sex toys) - barely gets a mention.
Still, even allowing for that, this is a shallow book. There's a bit of engagement with some obvious philosophical issues - would sex robots lead to objectification? Is it ethical to build a robot that "wants" to be raped, or that resembles a child? - but only framed through Devlin's view ("This philosopher says [X], which I think is wrong"). There's essentially no thought given to what a human-robot relationship would actually look like, or a society of human-robot couples. Would people divorce their robot when a newer model came out? Would a sex robot also be parent to the human's children? Basic questions like these about relationships don't even come up. And there's no consideration to what the limits of a robot personality would be. How human could or should it be? Should a sex robot be able to fall out of love with its human?
Ultimately a very frustrating book, neither deep and academic, nor properly fun and speculative. Its failures are epitomised by the chapter on sex doll users. Although sex doll users are stereotyped as antisocial loners, the ones Devlin talked to were open and sociable. So, she concludes, fears that sex robot users would become withdrawn from society are unwarranted. Sure, possible. But the more likely possibility - that by definition, she can only talk to unusually extroverted individuals (most people don't invite strangers to their homes to chat about their sex toys) - barely gets a mention.
October 4, 2018
Turned On is an easy to read book that presents philosophical, ethical, technical, and historical ideas in an easy to understand format. The writers voice is also pleasing and really made the journey through her field of research as interesting as the title suggested.
Content covered included both speculative ideas on what the future of sex robots, including both humanoid looking ones, but also future sex tech with robotic like features, could be. It also provided societal considerations on the acceptance and perhaps regulation of such devices. This was the most compelling aspect as It does make one think about why one would or would not be interested in sex robots but are in other aspects of sex. For example, harm to the robot, would the robot somehow lead to harmful sexual practices, and ultimately would it lead to the end of humanity as we know it, due to the supposed belief that people would form more intimate connections with them and not with each other. One final compelling aspect was the walk through the gallery view of the presentation of robots in media including the objectification of the robots. It was a compelling aspect and with some speculation and historical context, it was interesting to see how male gaze has led to the design of some of the robots, and some of the views expressed about them.
Weaknesses of the book were simply due to a lack of information in the field. There seemed to be limited studies performed on the perceptions of sex robots and on answering several of the more thought provoking societal thought questions pursued. While there were views presented about female robots a lot, it seemed there was limited coverage of perhaps male robots. Queer issues were mentioned, but also fell victim to limited coverage in same sex perceptions of the robots.
Overall an interesting book covering content from a niche field that could perhaps become chillingly relevant in the coming years.
Content covered included both speculative ideas on what the future of sex robots, including both humanoid looking ones, but also future sex tech with robotic like features, could be. It also provided societal considerations on the acceptance and perhaps regulation of such devices. This was the most compelling aspect as It does make one think about why one would or would not be interested in sex robots but are in other aspects of sex. For example, harm to the robot, would the robot somehow lead to harmful sexual practices, and ultimately would it lead to the end of humanity as we know it, due to the supposed belief that people would form more intimate connections with them and not with each other. One final compelling aspect was the walk through the gallery view of the presentation of robots in media including the objectification of the robots. It was a compelling aspect and with some speculation and historical context, it was interesting to see how male gaze has led to the design of some of the robots, and some of the views expressed about them.
Weaknesses of the book were simply due to a lack of information in the field. There seemed to be limited studies performed on the perceptions of sex robots and on answering several of the more thought provoking societal thought questions pursued. While there were views presented about female robots a lot, it seemed there was limited coverage of perhaps male robots. Queer issues were mentioned, but also fell victim to limited coverage in same sex perceptions of the robots.
Overall an interesting book covering content from a niche field that could perhaps become chillingly relevant in the coming years.
December 20, 2018
Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots is literally about all three of those things but not necessarily all at one time.
The book begins with a look back at early sex toys. The most hard to forget is the sailor’s lady made of leather and fabric and shared around the ship, ahead of the Fleshlight by hundreds of years. It continues by covering automata, mechanical robots programmed to appear spontaneous. Eventually, it arrives at sex dolls, some of which can do robot appearing tricks but are closer to automata. The author explains the difficulty in even defining what a sex robot is. Does it have to appear human? Have at least some artificial intelligence?
I like books about new technology, which is why I decided to read this book. However, I learned more about the current status of sex robots on a one-hour premium cable after hours show. As the author states in the epilogue, it is difficult or impossible to write about a technology that is changing so quickly.
However, that is not to say this book doesn’t have some valuable information and insights. Who knew there are many sex doll brothels around the world? Sometime in 2018, the first “sex robot” brothel will open in Moscow. There are many ethical issues with the idea of sex robots. Should child-sized ones be banned? The UK has already banned childlike sex dolls. What would be the impact on women? Would it encourage objectification, or worse, rape? Would robot use in porn and prostitution result in less sex trafficking and exploitation?
Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots is very explicit and so is not recommended to sensitive readers. However, it is thought-provoking. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!
Thanks to Bloomsbury Sigma and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book begins with a look back at early sex toys. The most hard to forget is the sailor’s lady made of leather and fabric and shared around the ship, ahead of the Fleshlight by hundreds of years. It continues by covering automata, mechanical robots programmed to appear spontaneous. Eventually, it arrives at sex dolls, some of which can do robot appearing tricks but are closer to automata. The author explains the difficulty in even defining what a sex robot is. Does it have to appear human? Have at least some artificial intelligence?
I like books about new technology, which is why I decided to read this book. However, I learned more about the current status of sex robots on a one-hour premium cable after hours show. As the author states in the epilogue, it is difficult or impossible to write about a technology that is changing so quickly.
However, that is not to say this book doesn’t have some valuable information and insights. Who knew there are many sex doll brothels around the world? Sometime in 2018, the first “sex robot” brothel will open in Moscow. There are many ethical issues with the idea of sex robots. Should child-sized ones be banned? The UK has already banned childlike sex dolls. What would be the impact on women? Would it encourage objectification, or worse, rape? Would robot use in porn and prostitution result in less sex trafficking and exploitation?
Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots is very explicit and so is not recommended to sensitive readers. However, it is thought-provoking. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!
Thanks to Bloomsbury Sigma and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 19, 2024
This book has been on my tbr list ever since I read the name in Yuval Noah Harari's Homo Deus. I'm easily intrigued, and so a whole book about something that barely exists at this point made me wonder, what there was to write about to this extent.
Some chapters speak about the history of sex dolls, robots and sex robots alike. The sex doll community is introduced, as well as makers of sex dolls and robots and their products. Computers and AI are huge subjects, both in terms of how they've developed and what the risks and ethical concerns to consider are. A lot of fictional stories and myths that have to do with human-like robots and robotic lovers are mentioned - some of the movies I've seen, some movies, books and papers I plan on checking out later.
Fun fact I'm mostly including for my own memory's sake: while I was reading this book I visited a film festival called Night Visions in Helsinki and saw a movie called "Black Eyed Susan". The Susan from the title is the movie's sex robot character: an AI inhabiting a human-shaped machine. The trick here is that Susan is specifically programmed and built to take abuse. She's supposed to be some sort of an outlet for violent tendencies, someone who you can and should hit to feel better.
In this book there is a whole chapter about sex work, artificial sex workers, sexual and other kinds of abuse and the concept of directing some of these problematic acts towards a machine instead of fellow humans. Is it right? Can it be therapeutic, or will indulging the urge to be violent normalize the act in the eyes of the user or even the society? It was interesting that a movie handling those questions came out just when I was reading this.
Some chapters speak about the history of sex dolls, robots and sex robots alike. The sex doll community is introduced, as well as makers of sex dolls and robots and their products. Computers and AI are huge subjects, both in terms of how they've developed and what the risks and ethical concerns to consider are. A lot of fictional stories and myths that have to do with human-like robots and robotic lovers are mentioned - some of the movies I've seen, some movies, books and papers I plan on checking out later.
Fun fact I'm mostly including for my own memory's sake: while I was reading this book I visited a film festival called Night Visions in Helsinki and saw a movie called "Black Eyed Susan". The Susan from the title is the movie's sex robot character: an AI inhabiting a human-shaped machine. The trick here is that Susan is specifically programmed and built to take abuse. She's supposed to be some sort of an outlet for violent tendencies, someone who you can and should hit to feel better.
In this book there is a whole chapter about sex work, artificial sex workers, sexual and other kinds of abuse and the concept of directing some of these problematic acts towards a machine instead of fellow humans. Is it right? Can it be therapeutic, or will indulging the urge to be violent normalize the act in the eyes of the user or even the society? It was interesting that a movie handling those questions came out just when I was reading this.
October 6, 2019
Dr. Devlin covers a lot of fascinating territory in this sprawling and ambitious book. She describes how the idea emerged from a conversation with philosophers in a pub, and Turned On reads very much like a long, thoughtful, slightly drunken conversation with a very, very smart person.
Turned On is at its best when Dr. Devlin is talking about her personal experiences running events and gatherings, defending her positions and doing her best to assemble data in a field where objective, quantifiable facts are scarce.
Her fundamental premise is that we should study and examine the moral, social, cultural, and ethical considerations of technology rather than reacting with reflexive revulsion or fear. Nor should we dispose of complex issues with reckless, salacious innuendo.
This is ultimately a book about what it means to be human, to be sentient, to have consciousness, and to have desire. It is also deeply entangled with complicated and nuanced questions about our relationship with technology: how it drives our behavior, and how our needs lead to new inventions. And of course there is the historical context, since nothing is truly new. We were grappling with the same issues thousands of years ago. The only difference is the sophistication of the hardware and software. Dr. Devlin spends a lot of time questioning sexual norms, and inevitably that ties into matters of social justice and equality, since power imbalances in sexual relationships lead to exploitation. But are machines part of the problem or part of the solution? She does not presume to answer these questions, but she invites us to pause and contemplate them seriously.
December 1, 2018
Just like there’s a site for everything on the web, there’s a doctoral dissertation for everything in the libraries of academia, or at least in the sometimes-fertile imagination of grad students. Here’s the proof, a book about sex robots, though the author would kill me if she saw me writing it so simply.
Right away in the intro there’s humor and self-awareness, which is a good harbinger. Actually, the title starts that with a pretty good pun. From there it delves into the ancient history of dildos and vibrators. Not sure what this has to do with the topic, but it’s fun, at least for a while.
As much as I’m enjoying the writing, I’m a third of the way through and the author seems to have forgotten what the book is supposed to be about in her fervor to provide historical perspective.
Getting through this becomes so tough I long for the humorous interludes, my fave being her running a conference amidst accusations of “bouncing.” Every once in a while she’ll sneak in a line like “I watch sex doll porn so you won’t have to,” and it reminds me why I keep reading till the end.
Despite the humor and conversational style, it really is more like a scientific report than anything else. I learned a lot of things, but not so many on the topic. But the important takeaway is that, even if it felt long at times, I enjoyed reading it.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5
Right away in the intro there’s humor and self-awareness, which is a good harbinger. Actually, the title starts that with a pretty good pun. From there it delves into the ancient history of dildos and vibrators. Not sure what this has to do with the topic, but it’s fun, at least for a while.
As much as I’m enjoying the writing, I’m a third of the way through and the author seems to have forgotten what the book is supposed to be about in her fervor to provide historical perspective.
Getting through this becomes so tough I long for the humorous interludes, my fave being her running a conference amidst accusations of “bouncing.” Every once in a while she’ll sneak in a line like “I watch sex doll porn so you won’t have to,” and it reminds me why I keep reading till the end.
Despite the humor and conversational style, it really is more like a scientific report than anything else. I learned a lot of things, but not so many on the topic. But the important takeaway is that, even if it felt long at times, I enjoyed reading it.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5
July 12, 2025
autorka zasługuje na nobla w dziedzinie odchodzenia od poruszonego tematu
książka miała dla mnie potencjał, nawet mnie zainteresował temat seksu i znajdowaniu przyjemności w otaczającej nas technologii, to miejsce na wiele badań dotyczących naszej natury, ale również i narastających problemów związanych z powszechną seksualizacją siebie nawzajem jak i otaczającej nas materii i czerpaniem przyjemności seksualnych z nowoczesnej technologii. Temat faktycznie został na początku dotknięty. Książkę zamknąłem na 70 stronie, gdy autorka opisywała śmierć swojej babci, która miała alzheimera i rozważała, czy lepiej by jej się żyło, gdyby miała w domu robota.
To kolejny dowód na to, że książka o wszystkim to książka wprawdzie o niczym. Nie wiem czy autorka nie miała wystarczającej wiedzy, aby pisać nieustannie o założonym temacie, czy może bała się że cienka książka się nie sprzeda, jednak nigdy przenigdy nie wspominałbym o swojej babci, kiedy 10 stron wcześniej poruszała temat “teledildoniki”, czyli sprawianiu sobie przyjemności poprzez kontrolowanie mocy wibratora przez osobę trzecią, która może znajdować się na drugim końcu globu.
Życzę sobie znaleźć kiedyś bardziej kompetentny tytuł, który omówi ten temat.
książka miała dla mnie potencjał, nawet mnie zainteresował temat seksu i znajdowaniu przyjemności w otaczającej nas technologii, to miejsce na wiele badań dotyczących naszej natury, ale również i narastających problemów związanych z powszechną seksualizacją siebie nawzajem jak i otaczającej nas materii i czerpaniem przyjemności seksualnych z nowoczesnej technologii. Temat faktycznie został na początku dotknięty. Książkę zamknąłem na 70 stronie, gdy autorka opisywała śmierć swojej babci, która miała alzheimera i rozważała, czy lepiej by jej się żyło, gdyby miała w domu robota.
To kolejny dowód na to, że książka o wszystkim to książka wprawdzie o niczym. Nie wiem czy autorka nie miała wystarczającej wiedzy, aby pisać nieustannie o założonym temacie, czy może bała się że cienka książka się nie sprzeda, jednak nigdy przenigdy nie wspominałbym o swojej babci, kiedy 10 stron wcześniej poruszała temat “teledildoniki”, czyli sprawianiu sobie przyjemności poprzez kontrolowanie mocy wibratora przez osobę trzecią, która może znajdować się na drugim końcu globu.
Życzę sobie znaleźć kiedyś bardziej kompetentny tytuł, który omówi ten temat.
December 13, 2020
This a book about sex, robots, and sex robots. It's a lot of fun.
Aside from a lot of the ideas in this book, I thought the tone was really well-balanced. Sex robots are funny, and Devlin writes about them as the funny and embarrassing topic that they are. Compared to a lot of dry, ponderous and meandering non-fiction that I've read on this course, this is incredibly readable and a joy to read. Devlin understands the impression of academics as dry and stuffy writers, and stuffs her writing with anecdotes, jokes and comments creating a unique relationship with the reader.
I also think that although a lot of the book is building up the science and historical ideas around both sex and robots. But when we get to the novel's final chapter we get a sense of what kind of future Devlin envisions. Devlin describes a workshop she held where an array of artists and scientists were put into teams to design futuristic sex robots. What came out of it were about a dozen objects that resembled nothing like what we have now. Devlin's future is a sex positive one where technology can enhance pleasure for whoever wants it, in a healthy and inclusive way. I think it's a pretty great one.
Aside from a lot of the ideas in this book, I thought the tone was really well-balanced. Sex robots are funny, and Devlin writes about them as the funny and embarrassing topic that they are. Compared to a lot of dry, ponderous and meandering non-fiction that I've read on this course, this is incredibly readable and a joy to read. Devlin understands the impression of academics as dry and stuffy writers, and stuffs her writing with anecdotes, jokes and comments creating a unique relationship with the reader.
I also think that although a lot of the book is building up the science and historical ideas around both sex and robots. But when we get to the novel's final chapter we get a sense of what kind of future Devlin envisions. Devlin describes a workshop she held where an array of artists and scientists were put into teams to design futuristic sex robots. What came out of it were about a dozen objects that resembled nothing like what we have now. Devlin's future is a sex positive one where technology can enhance pleasure for whoever wants it, in a healthy and inclusive way. I think it's a pretty great one.
February 27, 2021
Roboter, Sexualität, künstliche Intelligenz - eine Themenfeldkombination, die immer mehr verschwimmt, immer realistischer und zukunftsnaher wird. Aber was für Probleme kommen damit auf uns zu? Bringen Beziehungen (emotionaler und sexueller Art) Probleme für zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen und die Ethik? Wo stehen die Entwicklungen hier momentan überhaupt?
Das sind nur ein paar der Fragen die hier aufgeworfen und bearbeitet werden. Leider ist es stellenweise relativ träge dem Verlauf zu folgen, da hier unendlich oft sehr tief in die Vergangenheit und geschichtlichen Aspekten der Thematik gegraben wird. Diese sind zwar nicht uninteressant - aber leider doch sehr repetitiv und trocken. Auch die Sprache wankt immer sehr zwischen wissenschaftlichen Abhandlungen und einfacher Erzählung. Das macht es auch nicht gerade einfacher sich in die Materie fallen zu lassen.
Die erste Hälfte beschäftigt sich fast rein nur mit künstlicher Intelligenz, Intimität und Sexualität spielen überhaupt erst ab der zweiten Hälfte gefühlt mit. Damit leider nicht ganz die vielleicht verhofft (provozierende) Lektüre die ich mir erhofft hatte.
Das sind nur ein paar der Fragen die hier aufgeworfen und bearbeitet werden. Leider ist es stellenweise relativ träge dem Verlauf zu folgen, da hier unendlich oft sehr tief in die Vergangenheit und geschichtlichen Aspekten der Thematik gegraben wird. Diese sind zwar nicht uninteressant - aber leider doch sehr repetitiv und trocken. Auch die Sprache wankt immer sehr zwischen wissenschaftlichen Abhandlungen und einfacher Erzählung. Das macht es auch nicht gerade einfacher sich in die Materie fallen zu lassen.
Die erste Hälfte beschäftigt sich fast rein nur mit künstlicher Intelligenz, Intimität und Sexualität spielen überhaupt erst ab der zweiten Hälfte gefühlt mit. Damit leider nicht ganz die vielleicht verhofft (provozierende) Lektüre die ich mir erhofft hatte.
March 14, 2019
Interesting, and while Devlin is good at story-telling, the book is a little bit all over the place. At one point she references 2007 book Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships, which feels like a better attempt at what Devlin was trying to say (although of course outdated now). She also references Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications, which is probably the book I should have read. Part of my issue with Devlin's book is that it was less about sex and robots and more about related topics. I['d call this an aimless stroll around the historical landscape of sex and non-human things (not just robots). Like I said, interesting, and informative, but also just another odd random book.
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