Frigid Farrah' sex robot enables rape simulation
A commercially available AI-enabled sex robot reportedly included a programmable mode that simulates non-consensual sexual resistance, prompting widespread condemnation over the normalisation of sexual violence. 'Frigid Farrah' was one of 18 settings offered by Roxxxy, a sex robot manufactured and marketed by US-based TrueCompanion. According to the company, if you touched the 'Frigid Farrah' model in a 'private area, more than likely, she will not be too appreciative of your advance.' Critics accused TrueCompanion of normalising sexual violence: by providing a "resist" function, the product invited users to act out rape fantasies. The Campaign Against Sex Robots , argued that this technology functions as a training ground for sexual aggression, potentially leading to real-world harm by desensitising users to the importance of human consent. The controversy coincided with the publication of Our Sexual Future with Robots (pdf), a study for policymakers on the implications of sex robots on society. According to Sheffield University professor of artificial intelligence and robotics Noel Sharkey , there are ethical arguments within the field about sex robots with 'frigid' settings. 'The idea is robots would resist your sexual advances so that you could rape them,' Sharkey said . 'Some people say it’s better they rape robots than rape real people. There are other people saying this would just encourage rapists more.' System 🌐 Frigid Farrah Developer: TrueCompanion Country: USA Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Provide companionship Technology: Robotics Issue: Anthropomorphism; Normalisation
- Date it happened
- 2017-07-01
- Organisation involved
- TrueCompanion
- Product, system or model
- Roxxxy; Frigid Farrah
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