Dr Kate Devlin studies the way sex, gender and sexuality are incorporated into artificial intelligence. In 2016, she ran the first ever Sex Tech Hackathon, and she co-chairs the annual Love and Sex with Robots Convention. As our ability to develop human-like robots is continually advancing, Kate’s investigating what the rise of intimacy with AI means for us.
For her new book Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots(£16.99, Bloomsbury Sigma), she’s looked into the history of artificial companions, explored our gradually changing attitudes towards sex tech, and chronicled the development of the world’s most advanced sex robots. Now, in this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, she explains to BBC Focus editorial assistant Helen Glenny about what it all means. Who benefits from this new tech, and who suffers? How will this impact relationships between humans?
WARNING: In this conversation we talk to Kate about the use of sex robots, dolls and sex toys, as well as a wide range of new technologies for intimacy, which might not be appropriate for all audiences.
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Listen to more Science Focus Podcast episodes:
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- Why AI is not the enemy – Jim Al-Khalili
- Why aren’t there more women in science?
- Sin: Why we do the things we shouldn’t - Jack Lewis
- Changing our behaviour with virtual reality - Jeremy Bailenson
- Transhumanism: using technology to live forever - Mark O’Connell
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