Turned On

Science, Sex and Robots

Kate Devlin

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Paperback

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English

Bloomsbury Sigma
19 May 2020

Ethical issues: scientific & technological developments; Sexual behaviour; Impact of science & technology on society; Popular science; Robotics

The idea of the seductive sex robot is the stuff of myth, legend and science fiction. From the ancient Greeks to twenty-first century movies, robots in human form have captured our imagination, our hopes and our fears. But beyond the fantasies there are real and fundamental questions about our relationship with technology as it moves into the realm of robotics. Should we form intimate relationships with machines? Should robots be provided with a sexuality? How will it affect our everyday lives? Can we use them for therapy? Do they breach our laws on obscenity? Could they ever feel love?

Sexual activity is central to our very existence; it shapes how we think, how we act and how we live. It is deeply embedded in our society. With advances in technology come machines that may one day think independently. What will happen to us when we form close relationships with these intelligent systems? What, ultimately, does it means to be human in a future of machines?

Sex robots are here, and here to stay, and more are coming. This book explores how the emerging and future development of sexual companion robots might affect us, and the society in which we live. It explores the social changes arising from emerging technologies, and our relationships with the machines that may someday care for us and about us.

Chapter by chapter, this book will build on the science and the philosophy surrounding our most intimate relationship with technology. The scene is set with the history of the artificial sexual companion, then goes on to explore the ‘modern’ robot and the twentieth century sci-fi that promised us our own robot slaves. This is followed by an explanation of artificial intelligence and the urge to create sentient machines. It delves into our own psychology: how does desire affect our own behaviour, and can we become attached to an inanimate object? This then leads to a discussion of the good (robots making society a better place) and the bad (the potential for all to go wrong).

By: Kate Devlin
Imprint: Bloomsbury Sigma
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9781472950901
ISBN 10: 1472950909
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 19 May 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Kate Devlin is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Having begun her career as an archaeologist before moving into computer science, Devlin’s research is in the fields of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), investigating how people interact with and react to technology, to understand how emerging and future technologies will affect us and the society in which we live. Two years ago, Kate began to explore the particular ways in which sex, gender and sexuality might be incorporated into cognitive systems such as sexual companion robots; having assembled a research team of leading academics to work on this topic, she has become a driving force in the field of artificial sexuality. In short, Kate has become the face of sex robots. She has written articles on the subject for New Scientist and the Guardian, appeared on BBC Radios 1–5, and made a number of TV appearances, along with TEDx talks and numerous other tech and philosophy events, receiving significant media coverage on the way. Kate recently achieved the ultimate accolade of being misquoted in the Daily Mail.

Reviews for Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots

Illuminating, witty and written with a wide open mind. * Sunday Times * A lively, waggish guide to these uncharted waters, tracing ethics, sexuality, intimacy and the uncanny. * Tatler * A highly readable romp through the history of computers, robots and sex toys [...] A fascinating introduction to the state of sex-tech. * Science * For fans of Humans, Westworld and I, Robot. Or anyone who's ever enjoyed a flirtation with Alexa. Devlin takes us right through the AI revolution and its potential impact on our relationships [with] a relaxed and chatty tone. * Cosmopolitan * An engaging survey of the history of humanoids. * Financial Times * A timely, vital treatise [...] With charm and wit she tackles thorny issues. * Wired * An unusually cool-headed tour of the current sexbot terrain. [...] Devlin's calmer, more evidence-based middle path seems appealing, especially in an area where so much polemic has already risked deadening the nerves. * Harper's Magazine * One of Devlin's achievements is to humanise the sex robot makers and users – we are invited not to laugh at them, but to understand them. * The Times * Big on breadth and charm ... loaded with facts and anecdotes. * The Saturday Paper * This brilliant book is an intelligent, clear-eyed and often very funny deep dive into the history and future of love and machinery. -- Warren Ellis, author of Transmetropolitan After millennia of fornicating with foreign objects, the ultimate sex toy has finally arrived. Kate Devlin unpacks the very long, very dense history of the sex robot with style and wit. Spoiler alert: we haven't reached Westworld ... yet. -- Christopher Trout, Editor-in-Chief, Engadget In Turned On, Kate Devlin – the thinking person's navigator to the complex and potentially life-enhancing terrain of the sex robot – looks at the history of AI-enhanced erotic toys, then ventures far beyond our wildest imaginings. -- Rowan Pelling, Editor of The Amorist