AI won't replace adult toys but enhances intimacy with personalization and innovation. Discover how tech complements natural connections for pleasure.
In pursuit of enhancing sexual pleasure and
intimacy, providing personalized sexual experiences, and adding new dimensions
to long-distance relationships, we’ve seen a lot of developments in adult toys
in recent years.
A quick visit to an online or local sex shop will expose you to a modern selection of toys. Simple dildos and vibrators appeal to those looking to satisfy their sexual self-care and desires in a straightforward manner. Novelties with the most outrageous shapes and sizes are meant to conjure orgasms without breaking the bank. Then, there are more advanced pieces designed to replicate human touch or be controlled remotely through apps.
And just as we thought we’d seen it all, artificial intelligence (AI) is stepping in to change sex and the pursuit of pleasure for millions of people worldwide.
The question now is, will it completely replace the adult toys industry, or are we getting ahead of ourselves?
AI’s venture into more intimate territories shouldn’t come as a surprise. We're in an age where more and more people are retreating into the digital world for entertainment, social interaction, and information. Engaging in sexual experiences is also not an exemption.
That said, it was only a matter of time before adult toy manufacturers tapped into new tech like AI to reach this fast-growing market, and that time is now.
AI has started to take its place in the sexual wellness industry. Teledildonics or cyberdildonics is a technology that enables sex toys to interact with each other via the Internet, transmitting tactile sensations that mirror the intimate actions of couples. It’s safe to say that it laid the groundwork for AI-enhanced intimate devices.
The earliest attempt at actually using AI to upgrade self-pleasure devices was made back in 2014. HUM, touted as the first artificially intelligent vibrator prototype, was meant to allow for hands-free masturbation. Its vibration adjusts according to the user’s body movements.
While the prototype didn’t make it to market, it gained media hype, which demonstrated people's fantasy of having devices that could adapt to their pleasure needs.
Of course, when talking about AI-informed adult toys, we can’t skip on Autoblow AI. Developed by Brian Sloan, the device can be best described as a "blowjob machine that will render your hands useless." It's trained to imitate human oral sex techniques, using information from hours of oral sex videos.
Virtual reality is also becoming an increasingly common tool for enhancing sexual experiences. VRPorn, an adult website, enables visitors to view its VR videos on Oculus Quest and Google Cardboard.
The most intriguing developments in AI use within the sexual wellness space aren't just in adult sex toys, though. We're also noticing the increasing application of emotional and conversational AI designed for intimacy.
For instance, the platform Kupid lets users create and interact with AI companions. Based on their preferences, they can make their ideal girlfriend or boyfriend and have sensual conversations with them, receive voice messages, and even explore visual content to enhance the experience further.
Beyond using chatbots, these AI systems are capable of:
● personality adaptation based on their interactions with users
●
voice recognition and natural
language processing
●
emotional intelligence and
adjustments to responses
●
memory of past conversations and
user preferences
The point here is that the use of AI isn't just limited to purely physical
solutions but is also being improved to tap into the emotional and
psychological aspects of intimacy.
Although there's still a long way to go for AI-informed sex products and services to go fully mainstream, it appears that there is a growing curiosity and demand.
According to LELO's 2023 Sex Census, which was participated by 4,000 adults from the UK, about 1 in 10 Brits are using (1%) or are interested in using (7.8%) AI bots like ChatGPT for sexual purposes. Some of those who use the technology were asking for tips about sex or bedroom ideas, while others engaged in online chats with bots to satisfy their sexual needs. There are also those who rely on the technology to assist them in 'sexting' another individual.
Also, of the surveyed participants, 60% of those who expressed interest in trying out some form of sexual activity with an AI bot were men. As for those who already engaged in some form of sexual conversation with an AI bot, the gender split was significant–56% were men, 41.5% were women, and 2.5% were non-binary people.
These figures clearly indicate that AI is gradually becoming a part of people's sexual experiences. This, in turn, calls for more education and access to information on the technology as well as its application on sex and pleasure.
Not really. Rather than being a threat to the existence of adult toys, AI is actually a supplementary tool that's making the devices themselves and the sexual experience they provide better for people in multiple ways.
To start with, the technology's integration helps in providing a more personalized experience to consumers. Since AI has the capacity to learn individual preferences over time, manufacturers of adult toys can use that information for more targeted development. That means products with more effective and satisfying designs that can be adjusted based on user preferences, patterns, and changing needs.
There's an enhanced safety and communication aspect to this marriage of AI and traditional adult toys as well. AI-driven guidance and safety protocols will most likely be available for the proper use of the devices. Partners would also be more open to expressing their intimate needs, especially in terms of comfort and satisfaction while doing the deed.
While we do agree that AI’s relationship with adult toys is more symbiotic than competitive, we’re not saying that it doesn’t come with challenges because it does.
We can't overlook the issues regarding privacy and data surveillance in intimate contexts, as well as consent and boundary setting. There is also the potential for emotional dependency on AI systems, which can affect human-to-human relationship capabilities.
In fact, citing a study from the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, a Forbes article noted that 32% of individuals who regularly use AI companions have shown symptoms similar to behavioral addiction. Meanwhile, 25% of the study's participants expressed reduced interest in forming romantic relationships with other people.
Another concern is the source of the data that will be used to train AI so it can provide new forms of sexual stimulation and experiences.
As one article published in Vice pointed out, there's a limit to the data that can be gleaned from the available porn content, which some adult toy creators currently use to train their AI-powered devices. While the visual information is there, there's still the question of accuracy in terms of physiological response information.
Addressing these obstacles must be on the agenda of adult toy manufacturers to truly deliver tools that can enrich and support our sexual experiences and natural capacity for intimate relationships.
It's clear that AI technology won't replace adult toys and instead improve their ability to help individuals achieve enhanced sexual pleasure and intimacy. The important thing here is for adult toy creators to find the right balance between technological innovation and authentic human experience.
The future of tech-driven intimacy should not be about choosing between artificial and human connections. Rather, we need to understand how technology can complement and enhance our natural capacity for intimate relationships.