How do we ensure they are safe?
How will intimacy with a sex robot affect the human brain?
Would sex with a childlike robot be ethical?
And what exactly is a sexbot anyway?
Defining sex robot
There is no universally accepted definition of sex robot.
The primary conundrum is how to distinguish between a sex robot and a sexy robot.
40% off TNW Conference!
The problem with applying this definition to sex robots is that the latter increasingly provide much more than sex.
Sex robots are not just dolls with a microchip.
They will use self-learning algorithms to engage their partners emotions.
Consider the Mark 1 robot, which resembles the actor Scarlett Johansson.
Humans, of course, can navigate both sexual and nonsexual contexts adeptly.
What if a robot can do the same?
If so, it seems unlikely that states will be able to wholesale restrict sales of sex robots generally.
Bans on childlike sex robots, however, may be different.
It is not clear whether anyone in the U.S. already owns a childlike sex robot.
Introduced in 2017,it passed unanimouslysix months later.
But its unclear if such bans will survive constitutional challenge.
Childlike sex robots are robots, not humans.
Like virtual child pornography, the development of a childlike sex robot does not require interaction with any children.
Yet it might also be argued that childlike sex robots would have serious detrimental effects that compel state action.
Safe and secure?
Perhaps someday sex robots will becomesentient.
But for now, they are products.
What if the sexbots lips were manufactured with lead paint or some other toxin?
Its not just physical harm, but security as well.
What regulations are in place to ensure that this data remains private?
How vulnerable will the sex robot be to hacking?
Could the state use sex robots as surveillance devices for sex offenders?
But dire predictions like this are pure speculation.
At present there is no evidence of how the introduction of sex robots would affect either individuals or society.
Would robots be a substitute for humans in relationships or would they enhance relationships as sex toys might?
Would sex robots fill a void for those who are lonely and without companions?
Put another way, there are far more unanswered questions about sex robots than there are actual sex robots.
Otherwise, we may see reactionary governance decisions based on supposition and fear ofdoomsday scenarios.
No one knows the answer to this question.
Imagining the laws governing sexbots is no longer a law professor hypothetical or science fiction.
Its a real-world challenge that society is about to face for the first time.
I hope that the law gets it right.
