Present in fables and myths of almost all cultures, the fantasy of inanimate objects that come to life to satisfy our will seemed to remain, until now, in the world of imagination.
The emerging sex robot industry promises create perfect companionswhich poses new challenges and some alarm signals, such as the discussion that is taking place these days in the Chinese academic environment based on a reinterpretation of ancient texts of Confucianism.
In his poem The Metamorphoses, Ovid told the story of Pygmalion, a sculptor who ends up falling in love with one of his works, Galatea. The goddess Aphrodite grants his wish and gives life to that ivory sculpture with which he has a daughter, Paphos.
The legend inspired great authors such as Dante, Boccaccio and Shakespeare, while Similar versions of this story are repeated in different civilizations like the slave “of iron, glass and leather” that Albert the Great would have built in the 13th century to open and close the doors of his monastery.
Thus, while The desire to be able to create beings that obey and please us is not new.thanks to technology for the first time it seems to stop being simply a fantasy. The convergence of advances in robotics and artificial intelligence algorithms make it possible to build realistic robots with conversation skills and interactions that simulate human emotions.
Some of the companies that offer these devices today are Realbotix, Abyss Creations, AI Tech and Sex Doll Genie, all dedicated to the creation of companion robots for sexual purposes and a great offer of customization to be able to play at being a Pygmalion and create a custom Galatea.
The reign of hegemonic models
Of course: on those grounds hegemony reigns, with giant breasts, impossibly small waists and fleshy mouths.
The fact is that the very act of creating sex robots reflects sexist ideologies and at the same time legitimizes them in society. It is an objectification designed to satisfy male fantasies.portraying women as passive, submissive and defined solely by the desire of others.
These days there is a controversy in the Chinese philosophical world after the publication in one of the most prestigious magazines in that country of the article “Companion robots: a Confucian defense”, signed by the doctor of philosophy Fang Xudong.
According to the philosopher, some of the ancient teachings of Confucius come true with personal assistants assisted by Artificial Intelligence:
“It can be expected that a super intelligent sex robot can be customized to the user’s requirements to maximize the satisfaction of their individual needs. So, He will be gentle and considerate of his master, obedient, and eternally loyal.”
While not even the most orthodox interpreters of Confucianism agree that the thinker maintained that The virtue of a wife lies in obedience or submissionis a wake-up call about which fantasies return with the possibility of creating realistic imitations of women to be “perfect concubines.”
