It’s time to recognize the power of sex technology to change our intimate lives.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
Sex technology is advancing at an astounding rate and promises to revolutionize intimacy. Chatbots, avatars, sex dolls, and VR porn are some examples of advancing sex tech that are already gaining traction– and this is just the beginning. Intimacy is the core of humanity, yet the ways we are intimate are changing fast.
How future humans engage emotionally and sexually is being determined today by tech companies. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because human intimacy is far from perfect. People today struggle significantly in their romantic relationships. Hopefully, innovative sex tech will help make the future of intimacy less stressful and more pleasurable. However, the risk of negative impact is also real. For at least a subset of the population, sex tech is poised to become a compelling, albeit unhelpful, intimate partner.
Yet it’s easy to minimize the impact of tech on sex and the future of intimacy. First, we already have a lot to concern ourselves with. The news alerts us to problems all over the world, so our bandwidth for additional concerns may be diminished. Further, the future is uncertain. It’s much easier to focus on reality than concern ourselves with the unknown. I’ve found that people tend to justify their lack of concern about the impact of sex tech with one of four statements:
“People will always prefer human partners.”
Even if this were the case—and I don’t believe this is a given— it doesn’t mean that people would reject sex tech and hold out for a potentially elusive but preferred human partner. We are a species that needs connection, while appreciating convenience and efficiency. Advancing sex tech can do many things more proficiently and expediently than a human partner. For example, a better, faster orgasm, a less emotionally needy sexting partner, a perfect-looking body, a technology that embraces your kink rather than being disgusted by it.
Further, not all humans are great lovers, and not everyone has the option for a human sex partner. So, just because a human partner may remain the gold standard, it doesn’t mean that people will always prefer humans to sex tech, or that just being human makes a potential partner more desirable than sex tech.
“I don’t find any of the new tech sexually compelling, so other people won’t, either.”
People often incorrectly assume that others’ opinions will mostly mimic their own. But what constitutes great sex is a unique experience. Furthermore, research consistently suggests that younger generations find advancing sex tech more appealing than older generations. This makes sense, since younger generations are more used to interfacing with tech in all aspects of their lives.
