Having met victims of human trafficking, I suppose one could say that a full-on cyber-brothel could be seen as a step in the right direction. One could say that, but one should probably not. The argument could be made that the need for people to risk their health and their lives for a career in the sex trade would be eliminated, and those who want an outlet for a rush of hormones can avail themselves of a service in which their wish is their command. Or it may be just another way for one to debase oneself. I'm betting on debasement, and in Germany, people are about to take a step into the sexual frontier.
The Berlin company Cybrothel provides customers with a sexual experience that does not involve humans. According to the New York Post, Cybrothel allows customers to, shall we say, "interact" with life-size dolls with names such as Kokeshi, Bimbo, or Ms. Schmidt. The experience is augmented by the use of a virtual reality headset. Clients use the headset to enjoy "immersive porn" with their "partner du jour." Apparently, hourly and even nightly rates are available.
The Blaze noted that one issue that Cybrothel is facing is that the dolls in question tend to conform to male standards of eroticism when it comes to women. Co-owner Phlillip Fussenegger attributes that to the fact that most of the dolls have been created by white men. Fussenegger says that Cybrothel has sights set higher than a traditional hookup. He wants to explore, shall we say, strange new worlds, commenting, "We're trying to go in the direction of fantasy ... so mermaids, aliens, tentacles."
Mermaids, aliens, and tentacles. So, it will be a brothel desired to cater to whatever the fantasies of the customer happen to be. And given the state of the West, there is probably a customer base of people interested in mermaids, aliens, and tentacles. But it should be painfully obvious to anyone who has ever taken even a cursory glance at their local court docket or even the headlines that many people's fantasies involve criminal acts. Those include criminal acts involving women, children, and violence. While this is an age-old problem it has only been exacerbated by the internet. Making sex into something akin to a video game does more than rob it of its intimacy and expression of love. It also risks turning sex into nothing more than self-gratification, devoid of any meaning. In doing so, it threatens the boundaries that make us human.
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Another co-owner, Matthias Smetana, commented, “If you are here, the only person who can judge you is yourself. We have a lot of people who have never been in touch with sex work, who are really down to try it but are looking for a safe space. If you face performance anxiety, this doesn’t go in Cybrothel as you are dealing with sex toys, not humans.” Somatic sexologist Alice Child (I have no idea what that is) seems to agree in part, stating that Cybrothel could be a "safe space" place where people can explore their sexuality. But she also warns:
A place without judgment is a place without vulnerability, and sex is inherently vulnerable. If you fear being intimate, avoiding sex over the long term (by using AI), might rob you of the ability to have that really human experience with someone.
Yes, AI might rob someone of the ability to enjoy a real human experience. It might also help someone rid themselves of the judgment, values, and mores that say certain acts or interests are dangerous and criminal. Hopefully, Cybrothel has policies in place to address potential clients who have criminal interests. But this will not be the last incarnation of such a company. There will be more. We have already seen successful attempts to blur gender alongside attempts to all but erase the idea of consent, particularly where children are involved. Suffice it to say that there will be "providers" who will be all too happy to fulfill the basest of requests. People who would make those requests already refuse to recognize any sort of boundaries or laws and may be further empowered to act on their desires. Those actions will likely not be confined to the provided algorithm.
As technology continues to leap ahead at an ever-increasing pace, there is also an ever-increasing risk that humanity will continue to give up bits of itself until nothing remains.
