Robot sex will be common in 2067, half of Americans say
But many less than that think they'd spend some time with a sexbot themselves, a YouGov survey finds. And does robot sex count as cheating?
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Most people wouldn't consider having sex with robots -- for now at least.
Sex with robots is an idea making its way out of science fiction and into research labs and sexbot startups right now, but after another half century, it'll be awfully darn ordinary, Americans think.
Forty-nine percent of US adults think robot sex will be common in 50 years, according to a YouGov survey of 1,146 US adults published Monday.
Of course, there's a difference between "common" and "I'll do it," but there, too, a lot of people were on board. About 24 percent of men said they'd consider sex with robots if it were possible -- significantly more than the 9 percent of women in that camp.
Of course, there are plenty of caveats here. Sex already is a charged issue even before you take humans out of the equation, and it's not clear what social norms around robot sex will evolve.
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The YouGov survey shows the issue is unsettled.
"Only 14 percent of US adults would label having sex with a robot as intercourse, while 33 percent would consider it more akin to masturbation. And 27 percent of respondents didn't feel either category did the act justice," YouGov said.
Another question: is having sex with a robot cheating if you're already in a relationship with a human? Yes, say 32 percent of adults, but 33 percent say no. Looking one level deeper shows even more complications: 37 percent of men think it isn't compared to 29 percent who think it is cheating; but for women, 36 percent think it is cheating and only 29 percent don't.
