Sex robots at home: A political-economic analysis of a changing sex industry

Abstract

The advent of interactive and humanistic sex robots signifies a shift in the sex technology industry. Where objects such as sex dolls require an imagined personality, sex robots operate through artificial intelligence systems, allowing the user to communicate with the robot and shape its personality more directly. Even as stigmatization and fear revolve around the emergence of sex robots, the technology has implications for social robots and companion technologies. Discourse surrounding sex robots manifests across institutions with stakeholders attempting to guide the industry toward their vision of the future. The sex robot industry remains niche and its cultural impact is unclear; yet, social and legal regulations may have farther-reaching implications. This political-economic study examines how corporate (RealDoll), advocacy (Campaign Against Porn Robots and Prostasia Foundation), and government (local, state, national, and international) stakeholders envision the current and future standing of sex robots and their place in society. The analysis demonstrates the ways stakeholders draw on moral, capitalist, and androcentric language to celebrate or condemn the sex robot industry. This study’s data includes a critical discourse analysis of business and marketing materials, press releases and interviews, ownership details, and government legislation, a total of 442 artifacts. Through this examination, I argue that moralism and absolutism dominate the discourse, while the robots’ sexual functions obfuscate the ramifications of robotic artificial intelligence. Contextualized by broader discourses on technology and feminist inquiry, I additionally argue that sex robots are utilized as a focal point to debate broader issues of child abuse, rape and objectification, sexual privacy, and loneliness. Through ownership and lobbying facets, data reveals interconnections between stakeholder segments, indicating power and influence outside of the sex industry. In particular, Realbotix, the technological avenue of RealDoll, is attempting to expand its bespoke social robot offerings, the Campaign Against Porn Robots and Prostasia continue to lobby U.S. legislators to ban and reduce restrictions respectively, all while U.S. states implement restrictions on childlike sex robots without any regulatory advice on the AI privacy risks. I conclude the study with policy recommendations to clarify Supreme Court precedent and fortify consumer data protections.