Two breaking news released by the Pravda (Rus) and the Telegraph (UK),  just some days before to the Valentine’s Day (Jan- 12th, 2008), expounds the idea that as soon as the first quarter of this century, women and men would be able to make love to a robot, and probably to the first half of this century, not only to make love to a more perfect “domestic appliance”, but even to have a small, conformable talk with it (it doesn’t mention if the wine cup before, or the cigarette after are included). That idea is based on the concepts released by David Levy, a PhD in gender studies and artificial intelligence on his book “Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relations”, published in November of the last year.

According to the Author, ” the idea of a great sex on tap, 24/7,” can produce that “People may even fall in love with their hard-wired sex slaves”. Also he reemphasize that the solution would become handy for insecure or physically limited people. Some data can be said on his favor, like the fact of an increasing sells at international level of vibro-massages and other erotic-related devices, as well as the cyber-sex popularity since the generalization of the Internet.

Reactions to this ideas has been very variable, from the horrified comments by the sexologist Yvonne K. Fulbright (”It seems to me crazy to think that human beings can fall in love with a robot”), to the enthusiastic comments by the Russian Psychologist Alexander Kontor who affirms: ““However, the possibilities of robots should not be underestimated. If robots with individual erotic experiences are created, for example, with such programs as “the romantic girl,” “femme fatale”, “hero lover”, etc., then who knows which heights of the Golden Age we may reach…Maybe, there will be no jealousy or envy, suicides or passion then?”, or doubtful like those made by Frederik Kaplan, (”Do we really want robots made to our image and resemblance?”).

However, the most measured opinion comes from the Russian Expert Igor Kon, who says that “People have long made love with plastic dolls” ……. “The question of creating an artificial woman is discussed in myths as well (Pygmalion and Galatea’s story)”, and concludes “The major human difficulties are not of a technical, but of a communicative character – how to find a kindred spirit and get rid of loneliness”

So what would you prefer? a “sexy domestic robotic appliance”? or a real, sexy couple, despite all his/her deffects? isn’t the current society way of life, making us more dependent of electronic artifacts and less in contact with other real people? or simply, the concepts are too exaggerated?

Sources: Pravda (RU), Telegraph (UK) and Yahoo Telemundo Noticias