The Technological Future Of Sexuality And Sexual Health

Long-distance hugs; virtual reality porn stars; technosexuals living with automated dolls; you might have caught such news snippets online, but you’ll have to get used to these with the technological transformation of sex. Indeed, if technology permeates the entire terrain of human relations, why should sex and sexuality be an exception? 

Sextech is already a $30 billion-strong industry, but analyses expect it to grow further to $52.7 billion by 2026. Such devices even made their way into the popular Consumer Electronic Show in 2020 and 2021 showing that tech and sex are increasingly getting intermingled. But far from Tinder, ransomware-prone male chastity devices (ouch!) or dystopian scenarios, technology can also augment our sexual health, especially when it comes to stigmatised conditions. 

Science fiction creators have already explored such subjects with recent movies and shows. Spike Jonze’s Her (2013) told a beautiful love story between Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) and an artificial intelligence (A.I.) operating system. In Ex Machina (2015), Alicia Vikander takes the character of a robot capable of interpreting and responding to human feelings, while also manipulating people in its environment. The popular HBO show Westworld on the other hand depicted inhumane violence that humans can inflict on robotic companions.

Whether living out one’s sexual fantasies on robots affects real-life interactions with human partners or whether sex robots threaten the world’s oldest profession are such questions that we must contemplate. This is because advanced technologies will increasingly become commonplace in this area of our lives. As we step into the dawn of a new sexual revolution, it’s time to face where technology may take the most intimate area of our lives. 

For further insights we also talked with a transhumanist, a sexual health tech startup and a technosexual; because even though this year’s Valentine’s Day seemed like any other, those in coming years might be wildly different.

Sex and companionship during the pandemic

The need to limit travel and to introduce lockdowns amidst the pandemic impacted our sexual lives like nothing before. Many had no physical contacts with their partners for months and as a consequence, we had to adapt. As work and shopping increasingly turned to virtual solutions, so did sex. Sexting saw a rise as did the sale of sextech. More and more people flocked to OnlyFans, a streaming platform mostly associated with digital sex work. According to the Future of Sex report, more than 25% of young people will have had a long-distance sexual experience.

Other forms of companionship are also adopting socially-distant features. For “only” ￡250, you can get a HugShirt. This smart shirt allows people to send hugs over distance – just like a text message. The wearer can feel the strength, duration, and location of the touch, skin warmth, and the heart rate of the sender. There’s now also the possibility to send a kiss remotely with the Kissenger from Lovotics. By kissing the device’s artificial mouth on the sender end, the receiver device “provides the convincing properties of the real kiss.”

For fans of sci-fi, Gatebox released the GTBX-100, which is an Alexa-like virtual home assistant but with a more “human touch.” It features a cute humanoid hologram that “lives” in a capsule, allowing you to interact with “her” more naturally, and she can even act as the user’s wife.

Such contraptions might sound strange or even funny, but they can address real issues. Before the pandemic, a “loneliness epidemic” was already spreading. Japan already had over half a million people below 40 years of age who hadn't had interactions with anyone or left their house for at least six months. Solo households’ share amounts to 28% in Canada and 34% in the European Union.

Loneliness can have devastating health consequences like depression or even predispose to physical conditions like heart disease. As providing companionship and intimacy online becomes more adopted, such solutions could become more accessible to those wary of physical interactions.

Destigmatising sexual health

New technological approaches can also address other sensitive topics like sexual health. The latter is often stigmatised and a taboo subject for many. “A positive relationship to sex shouldn’t be a privileged thing, it’s a fundamental human right,” said Billie Quinlan, co-founder of Ferly. The latter is a “mindful sex app” for women that, based on one’s profile, suggests appropriate audio guides that vary from encouraging the user to self-touch and explore through challenging negative beliefs about one’s body to discussing gynaecological anatomy. The app even saw a 65% increase in organic downloads during the pandemic.

Source: https://mashable.com

Men as well face the pressure of stigma when it comes to their sexual health. “Men’s health has a number of challenges, with everything from hard to access services to embarrassing conditions,” Sam Shah, Chief Medical Strategy Officer of Numan, told us in an interview on our Patreon channel. This startup focuses on men’s health including conditions such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Numan also provides personalised supplements to support men through their online platform.

“Numan takes a different approach, its focus is on being helpful to the people using our services and also trying to take some of the stigma out of conditions such as erectile dysfunction,” Shah added. “We’re doing that using social marketing techniques, using advertising and messaging that people can identify with. By helping men engage with our service we can help solve some immediate problems, but more importantly help to diagnose other underlying conditions such as diabetes or testosterone deficiency.”

Sam Shah also noted that during the pandemic, the number of people using their services and similar ones increased. Hopefully, adoption remains high post-pandemic.

Robots are coming to your bedroom

Futurist Dr. Ian Pearson previously estimated in a report that by 2050, human-robot sex will become more common than human-human sex. Is there any chance for that to happen? Considering the state of technology, it might. Companies like RealDoll and Realbotix manufacture A.I.-powered adult dolls endowed with facial expressions and conversing abilities. Realbotix’s iconic sex robot, Harmony, which can cost up to $12,000, has even received an update that adds a coronavirus conversational feature.

Already, there are people with such robotic partners: the so-called technosexuals. Among them is Davecat, who lives with his wife and mistress; both synthetic dolls. He told The Medical Futurist that being a technosexual has improved his life, without question. He said he felt isolated and alone, without a place in society. After he began his relationship with his synthetic partners, everything changed. He says he is now happy and that his friends accept his choice. He added his dolls were necessary to start living a better life.

While such dolls often err in the uncanny valley, or when artificial human depictions look lifelike, but something still feels off; they are still sought after in the world’s oldest profession. From Hong Kong to Las Vegas, sex doll brothels are now a reality. Europe's first sex doll brothel, which opened in Barcelona, attracts around 55 clients every week. Another brothel in the same city even “employs” both artificial and human prostitutes. Some consider these newcomers as a threat to the trade and has even led to The Campaign Against Sex Robots. The latter was founded in 2015 “to warn against the dangers of normalising relationships with machines and reinforcing female dehumanisation”.

On the other hand, Davecat told us that he thinks such companions can be adequate for lonely people, those unlucky in romance or not fitting in society. With the ability to not only listen but also respond, they can be a genuine benefit to thousands of individuals, he added.

VR takes porn into another reality... without ever replacing human contact

Going one step further from artificial dolls, the sex industry is also accommodating virtual, intangible sex workers altogether. Indeed, the adult entertainment industry has always been on the cutting edge of technological revolution, so it’s no wonder that industry experts estimate that virtual reality (VR) porn accounts for 50% of the total VR market. The biggest appeal of VR porn is that it gives the potential feeling of being in the movie thanks to the 360-degree films that allow viewers to move their heads around (but not much else). 

However, under COVID lockdown, it’s the closest thing to real sex some might experience. That’s why some VR porn companies have experienced as much as 30% growth in sales since lockdowns began. Even regular, 2D porn saw a boost as PornHub’s surge in traffic attests. As New York City health officials put it 'you are your safest sex partner'.

Source: https://mashable.com

However, psychologists advise indulging in VR porn with moderation. Otherwise, viewers might not satisfy themselves with real experiences and even grow dependent on it. "No matter how real it feels and how much you enjoy it, that person on the screen is never going to replace proper human contact," psychologist Perpetua Neo said. 

In extreme cases, it could even lead to so-called “porn-induced erectile dysfunction.” It refers to viewers’ brains getting accustomed to such extreme levels of stimulation that they can’t get stimulated enough by their real-life partner.

Sextech and the future of society

At this point, you might be experiencing a feeling of shock, outrage, frustration, amazement or the combination of all four. However, you should consider that technology is always developed as a response to human needs. There are people who live in long-distance relationships and desperately lonely people. Others might have problems with monogamy or forming long-lasting (sexual) relationships. Others who live in marriage and everything else except sex is working just fine. Some even struggle with their own sexuality and matters of sexual health. The future of sextech can offer solutions to live a fulfilling sexual life.

Of course, these also bring along a host of ethical and moral questions about our relationships and our society as a whole. Is VR sex cheating or a safe way to experiment? We could ask the same about A.I. sex dolls too. Moreover, should the latter be allowed to recreate questionable or downright immoral fantasies? 

"Some robots are programmed to protest, to create a rape scenario," Dr Christine Hendren of Duke University told BBC News. "Some are designed to look like children. One developer of these in Japan is a self-confessed paedophile, who says that this device is a prophylactic against him ever hurting a real child.” Researchers are already sounding the alarm that such robots present an increasing threat to individual, as well as societal, morals and psychology. 

Source: https://www.forbes.com

We will have to increasingly address these tough issues in the coming years. But it better happen sooner so that the boundaries are well-established among all members of society. Transhumanist Zoltan Istvan told us that the question is not how technology changes sexuality, but whether sexuality can survive technology. He doesn’t think it will. Sexuality, like all social rituals, is something that will not be needed in a world where offspring are born in a test tube or where the idea of having offspring is abandoned altogether.

On our end, we think that society, sexuality and technology should find a common ground. We should teach younger generations how to love, how to feel empathetic towards others, how to form long-lasting bonds; while also figuring out what place technology might get in our lives and sexuality. To preserve the core of being a human, we should do that soon. After all, what remains when the most precious human interactions – touching another human being with intimacy, care, and empathy – lose their authenticity and are completely replaced by robots and virtual reality?

Dr. Bertalan Mesko, PhD is The Medical Futurist and Director of The Medical Futurist Institute analyzing how science fiction technologies can become reality in medicine and healthcare. As a geek physician with a PhD in genomics, he is a keynote speaker and an Amazon Top 100 author.

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