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Question Of The Day

Question of the Day: Would You Have Sex With a Robot?

"I’d be too scared that it would malfunction, short circuit and blow my dick off.”
Shamani Joshi
Mumbai, IN
Sex With A Robot question of the day
From left to right: Prianka Jain, Idris Bakri and Jalasaya Federoff 

Despite being consistently told by the society that all things sex and sexuality are taboo, sex is a human need that’s also played an important role in Indian history. From historical engravings of donkeys fucking women to the prevalence of modern-day foot fetishes, it’s clear that humans have always liked to get weird and sexy, and probably always will.

But even as we open our hearts (and legs) to dildos, fleshlights, and other pleasure-giving objects, the world is toying with technology to take the sexperience to the next level: AI-driven sex robots that are programmed to please.

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That’s right, sex robots are real and they’re coming to fuck you in exactly the way you’d want to be fucked. From digi-sexuality to sexbot brothels, the only kind of domination you can expect from robots right now is them being on top of you.

But is our society truly ready to embrace digital dicks and virtual vaginas just yet? We asked some young people on the street whether they’d bang a robot.

Prianka Jain, 23, designer

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VICE: So Prianka, what is the possibility of you fucking a robot?
Prianka Jain: I saw a documentary on one of those hyper realistic sex robots and they looked pretty sick. If it’s one of those and I can fully customise it according to what I want, then yeah. It’ll be hilarious. I’d do it out of curiosity.

So a customised one for you, huh?
I mean the whole point of having a robot is to get exactly what you want, right? You can choose their skin colour, their voice and even their dick size. You’re literally MAKING the dude you want, like you’re playing The Sims. You can even get them to recite poems and shit in bed!

And would you want to date your sexbot?
Nah I wouldn’t be able to take it to town. I see it as a sex object, not something I want to stare at over a dinner table or watch movies with. You wouldn’t take a dildo out on a date, right?

Idris Bakri, 22, marketing professional

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Image: Amulya Chintaluri

VICE: So, Idris, if you were given the chance of having a robot make love to you, would you take it?
Idris Bakri: Nah, I’d be too scared that it would malfunction, short circuit and blow my dick off. Why take that risk when you can just have the real thing?

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So what makes it “real” for you?
I live for warmth and cuddles and probably can’t imagine doing that with a robot. Also, as an adventurous person who loves spontaneity, I’d want the other person to take initiative in being spontaneous as well, which won’t happen if it’s working according to algorithmic codes and artificial intelligence.

Chris Williams, 16, student

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Image: Shamani Joshi

VICE: How’s it going, Chris? Tell me, what do you think of coming home to a robot waiting to pleasure you?
Chris Williams: No, I don’t think I’d want that. Sex, like love, is a very human emotion and I don’t think there’s any way to reproduce that. We create that for ourselves only with other people.

What do you think makes it so human?
I think what makes it most human is the connection you feel with another person. You know what they’ve been through and that makes you feel more comfortable about doing it with them.

Do you think you have to have an emotional connection to have sex?
Yeah, you can have it for fun and all that, but having that emotional connection makes it so much more meaningful.

Jalasaya Federoff, 29, photographer and filmmaker

Jalasaya Federoff Sex with a robot

Image: Shamani Joshi

VICE: Would you replace a human for a robot in bed, Jalasaya?
Jalasaya Federoff: It depends on how good the robot is (laughs). Like, give me the write-up and the manual and I’ll read that and then decide.

What would be the deciding factor?
There are pros and cons to it. The advantage would be that it would probably be programmed to the uttermost efficiency, which means you’d get orgasms all the time. But that actual feel and emotion you get with someone while making love would be absent. Unless it’s like an I, Robot style thing, then I’d probably be up for it.

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Arnav Timsina, 26, filmmaker

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Image: Shamani Joshi

VICE: Sex with a robot—yay or nay?
Arnav Timsina: Yeah I think I’d try it! It’ll be something new and it sounds adventurous.

What kind of adventures do you have in mind?
If it’s a machine I’ll have more control over it and I can do whatever my girlfriend would not be comfortable with doing. And if I could pick something specific, I would really love for the robot to have a squirting feature. It’s kind of a fantasy!

Divya Rodricks, 18, artist

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Image: Shamani Joshi

VICE: Sexy times with a robot—how does that sound to you, Divya?
Divya Rodricks: I’m not sure because I do feel like if it gives me pleasure, then why not, but it’ll also feel weird because it’s not something we’re used to at all nor do we hear about it happening often. It’s something we know nothing about yet and I think that fear of the unknown might hold me back.

But wouldn’t you want to try something new?
I think sex is a learning process. Sex for me right now is something that you do with someone you connect with. Maybe as I grow older, I’ll see it more as a form of self pleasure, but right now this is how I feel.

Follow Shamani Joshi on Instagram.