Desire in the Age of Robots and AI: An Investigation in Science Fiction and Fact - Hardcover

by Rebecca Gibson (Author)

This book examines how science fiction's portrayal of humanity's desire for robotic companions influences and reflects changes in our actual desires. It begins by taking the reader on a journey that outlines basic human desires--in short, we are storytellers, and we need the objects of our desire to be able to mirror that aspect of our beings. This not only explains the reasons we seek out differences in our mates, but also why we crave sex and romance with robots. In creating a new species of potential companions, science fiction highlights what we already want and how our desires dictate--and are in return recreated-- by what is written. But sex with robots is more than a sci-fi pop-culture phenomenon; it's a driving force in the latest technological advances in cybernetic science. As such, this book looks at both what we imagine and what we can create in terms of the newest iterations of robotic companionship.

Back Jacket

"... Rebecca Gibson has given us this wonderful book that details how these technologies could have an even more profound influence--redefining that in us which is most human."

-- Chris Irwin Davis, Ph.D., A.I. Research Scientist

"Gibson's book is a delightful and dirty look on what separates us from the machines, and exactly what those differences say about us if they even exist anymore."

"Well researched, engaging, and thought provoking, Dr. Gibson has given humanity a lot to consider when it comes to our desires and creations. A winning combination of entertaining and well documented information and analysis!"

--Eli Girvin, Talent Analytics Strategy Consultant with IBM

This book examines how science fiction's portrayal of humanity's desire for robotic companions influences and reflects changes in our actual desires. It begins by taking the reader on a journey that outlines basic human desires--in short, we are storytellers, and we need the objects of our desire to be able to mirror that aspect of our beings. This not only explores the reasons we seek out differences in our mates, but also why we crave sex and romance with robots. In creating a new species of potential companions, science fiction highlights what we already want and how our desires dictate--and are in return recreated-- by what is written. But sex with robots is more than a sci-fi pop-culture phenomenon; it's a driving force in the latest technological advances in cybernetic science. As such, this book looks at both what we imagine and what we can create in terms of the newest iterations of robotic companionship.

Author Biography

Rebecca Gibson, PhD, is Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame, USA. She specializes in bioanthropology, and serves as a juror for the Speculative Literature Foundation's Working Class Writers grant. Her work has been published in NEXUS, and in Sexuality & Culture.