Many of us are terrified that AI will put us out of work – and it seems even the oldest profession isn’t immune to the threat.
Because in the next phase of sex work, prostitutes will be replaced by ‘intergalactic pleasure dolls’ with hearts of gold, super flexible limbs and a willingness to try anything.
They don’t even insist that you wear a condom.
Sex robots used to be the stuff of science fiction – seen in films like Blade Runner, Ex Machina and the Megan Fox vehicle Subservience.
But as silicone dolls become more and more realistic, they are seen as an increasingly viable – arguably less complicated – alternative to the real thing.
In their new book Sex work todayauthors Bernadette Barton, Barbara G. Brents, and Angela Jones reveal that the world’s first AI prostitute was created to fulfill her every desire – while also teaching her clients about consent.
Kokeshi plies its trade at Cybrothel in Berlin, and is marketed as tasting like peaches and smelling like summer rain. She has facial piercings, a wide range of bondage equipment and is on a mission ‘to spread pleasure consciousness in a shame-free environment.’
She shares space with Paris, ‘a hyper-feminine girl next door’, Guy Rider, ‘a sultry bisexual male doll’, Mistress Oxana, ‘a German dominatrix’, and ‘coming soon, Hito, a pixie-like manga doll with pointy ears, as well as an alien doll with blue skin.”
Kokeshi is marketed because it tastes like peaches and smells like summer rain
Megan Fox played a robot named Alice in the sci-fi thriller Subservience and strips naked in a series of breathtaking sex scenes
The authors write: ‘When clients first enter the room, they find Kokeshi sunbathing in a heater to warm her silicone skin, wearing a curly blue wig and a clear plastic skirt, with her galactic blue eyes fixated on a bowl of condoms hanging above the bed dangles. .’
But the crucial way Kokeshi differs from other sex doll brothels is that her owner, Alexis Smiley Smith, has given her “a real personality.” She communicates with customers via strategically placed cameras and microphones in what she calls an “analog AI” experience.
“My external room is a literal closet, full of doll clothes, wigs, a small table with monitors, headphones, an audio mixer and a laptop,” says Smith, herself a former escort.
“The equipment is outdated, so it looks like something from the early 1990s.”
The book’s authors note that the experience is, in a sense, “phone sex with a shared physical medium.”
Initially worried that her clients would be “incel-like men… who come to her flat and have creepy sex with her,” Smith says she “confused her a bit” by designing a doll with feminist ideals and a mission to teach consent.
‘I often find myself taking control by instructing the client to undress, sit next to me on the bed (Kokeshi), touch my arms, the small dimple in my collarbone, or pull my hair. smell,” she says. say.
‘I say lube is important and say, “Yes, you can touch me there, thanks for asking.” I celebrate consent and make it a point to bring up how important consent is, even in this context.
Kokeshi features a wide range of bondage equipment and is on a mission ‘to spread pleasure consciousness in a shame-free environment’
Alicia Vikander plays a robot named Ava who develops feelings for her creator in Ex Machina
Sex robots used to be the stuff of science fiction – seen in films like Blade Runner
“And,” she adds, “yes, I simulate orgasms, moan and say names. After all, this is a form of sex work.”
The AI experience, she says, has brought her clients who were too shy to explore their fantasies with human partners.
“I had clients where the woman in a heterosexual relationship wanted a threesome and was more sexually adventurous than her husband, but he was open and supportive.”
While the woman immersed herself in the AI experience, she says, the man was reluctant.
“As I scanned the room, I was able to use Kokeshi with my voice to lighten the mood and take some of the pressure off the couple.
‘And it dawned on me: as a sex worker I sell more than just sex, I sell connection. I can laugh when the champagne cork hits the ceiling, ask meaningful questions, chat…’
The authors note that scientists estimate that by 2045, one in 10 young adults will have had a sexual encounter with a humanoid robot.
“That said, it is uncertain exactly what role doll brothels will play in future sex tech companies.”
Fearing that her clients would be “incel-type men,” Smith created Kokeshi with feminist ideals and a “queer” personality
Smith (left) says: ‘I make it a point to bring up how important consent is, even in this context’
That’s because legal action has closed several brothels in America, Europe and Asia.
“But in Berlin,” they say, “the market is booming.”
Whatever the future holds, they are convinced that the human need to connect means we are a long way from seeing dolls – no matter how realistic – completely take over sex work.
They write, “There’s something about spontaneous human connections that people crave, perhaps more than sex itself.
‘The appeal of a doll that can hold any sexual position indefinitely is one thing, but having someone who encourages you to try new positions is something else entirely.’
Alexis agrees: ‘I’m certain that dolls will never replace human sex workers… the question is: where will they find their place?’
Maybe in the closet?
Sex Work Today: Erotic Labor in the Twenty-First Century by Bernadette Barton, Barbara G Brents and Angela Jones is published by NYU Press