Respondent: Robots, Ethics, and Intimacy: the need for scientific research Dr S. Kate Devitt Research Fellow Robotics & Autonomous Systems School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty of Science and Engineering Institute for Future Environments Faculty of Law Queensland University of Technology
Respondent: Robots, Ethics, and Intimacy: the need for scientific and humanities research Dr S. Kate Devitt Research Fellow Robotics & Autonomous Systems School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty of Science and Engineering Institute for Future Environments Faculty of Law Queensland University of Technology
Be intimate! Be intimate! Intimate robots: Play, pretense and panic
Are sex robots physical pornography? If so, then will sex robots increase likelihood of sexual violence (i.e. non-consensual acts)?
Evidence for a causal relationship between exposure to pornography and sexual aggression is slim [exaggerated by politicians, pressure groups and some social scientists]. Evidence of negative effects of violent pornography is inconsistent [violent pornography is comparatively rare in the real world]. Victimization rates for rape demonstrate an inverse relationship between pornography consumption and rape rates. Ferguson, C. J., & Hartley, R. D. (2009). The pleasure is momentary the expense damnable?: The influence of pornography on rape and sexual assault. Aggression and violent behavior, 14(5), 323-329.
Are sex robots embodied video games? If so, then will allowing sexual violence with sex robots increase likelihood of sexual violence (i.e. non-consentual acts) with humans?
Exposure to violent videogames is a causal risk factor for: increased aggressive Behavior Cognition Affect decreased empathy prosocial behavior Anderson, C. A., Shibuya, A., Ihori, N., Swing, E. L., Bushman, B. J., Sakamoto, A.,... Saleem, M. (2010). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 151-173. doi:10.1037/a0018251
Are sex robots play or real? If sex robots create safe pretense, then will they satisfy participant imagination without negatively affecting real interactions with other humans?
Whatever I m doing with a robot it isn t real, I m just pretending
What is pretense? Pretend beliefs involves complex representations of the world both as it is and as it is not Representations decoupled from action that would emerge if pretense were true E.g. pretending the banana is a telephone means Talking to an inanimate object and supposing a real person is listening Not eating the banana Lillard, A. S., Pinkham, A. M., & Smith, E. (2011). Pretend play and cognitive development. The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Cognitive Development, Second edition (p.285-311) Leslie, A. M. & Roth, D. (1993). What autism teaches us about metarepresentation. In S. Baron-Cohen, H. Tager-Flusberg & D. Cohen (Ed.), Understanding other minds: Perspectives from autism Oxford: Oxford University Press
Real and pretense P = x is raping a woman Q = x is having consenting sex with a woman R = x is having consenting sex with a robot S = x is raping a robot T = x is simulating sex with a robot X BELIEVES Q I believe I m having consenting sex with a woman X PRETENDS P I m pretending I m raping a woman
Real and pretense P = x is raping a woman Q = x is having consenting sex with a woman R = x is having consenting sex with a robot S = x is raping a robot T = x is simulating sex with a robot X BELIEVES T I believe I m simulating sex with a robot X PRETENDS P I m pretending I m raping a woman
62% of women have had a rape fantasy sexual fantasy are imaginative conscious mental imagery or daydream that includes sexual activity or is sexually arousing. fantasy does not necessarily imply a desired experience or a pleasurable event many rape fantasies are not realistic depictions of rape. Often abstracted, eroticized portrayals that emphasize some aspects of actual rape and omit or distort other features Bivona, J., & Critelli, J. (2009). The nature of women's rape fantasies: An analysis of prevalence, frequency, and contents. Journal of sex research, 46(1), 33-45.
Positive play If sex robots create safe pretense, then will they satisfy participant imagination without negatively affecting real interactions with other humans? Even improving them?
The cognitive value of pretend play Pretend play helps counterfactual causal reasoning Thinking about how our actions may have consequences in the world Learning causal structures and dependencies Buchsbaum, D., Bridgers, S., & Weisberg, D. S. (2012). The power of possibility: causal learning, counterfactual reasoning, and pretend play. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B., 367(1599), 2202-2212.
Build intimacy robots with ethics to train respectful behaviours even if outside normal CPR dummies train safe resuscitation
Thank you