Sex And The Machine - Manipulating Lust For Liberty With...

Sex and the Machine – Manipulating Lust for Liberty with Robot Prostitutes Prostitutes are on the margin of society. Often forced into sex work or using the under-the-table cash to feed a drug addiction, the prostitution industry is incredibly dangerous and exposes women, men, and minors to a variety of STIs and threatening situations. Women especially are expected to conform to specific stereotypes by dressing, acting, and looking a certain part in order to attract a specific clientele. Often times this leads to maltreatment by not just their clients, but greater society in general. However, a solution may be in progress: in the future, human-acting robotic prostitutes may be able to replace human prostitutes partially or entirely.†¦show more content†¦The ethical issues of robot sex workers revolve around the future of a major faction of society: sex slaves. Sex slaves are women (usually) who are kidnapped and then forced to work as prostitutes. Optimists may assume robots would be the messiahs for these impoverished women, allowing them to be re placed by automatons. But until the market—especially in countries with active sex tourism industries—is flush with these robots, sex slavery will endure, keeping these oppressed people in destitution. While it may seem like a civic duty to rescue these persecuted individuals, replacement by machine is not an easy answer. How will these pleasure-bots influence the concept of the physical form, specifically for women who already have to shirk harsh societal expectations for physical appearance? Might these robots encourage â€Å"guilt-less† cheating on spouses? These are some of the many complex facets to consider, leading to the question that faces us today: do we attempt to phase out human prostitutes with robotic replacements? There are four primary stakeholders whose involvement in should shape the focus of this debate: sex slaves/human prostitutes, the clients of these persons, the manufacturers of the robots, and lawmakers at all levels of government. Sex slaves and prostitutes are the center of the issue. Naturally, the chief