And probably for some not-so-pathetic reasons. Advanced A.I. would be indistinguishable from human behavior in this scenario, and would exhibit the same signs of consciousness as humans do. Whether there's real consciousness and the capacity to love and care for a partner is irrelevant because there's no way to know. Even in humans, detecting consciousness is currently impossible (and I hypothesize will always remain a mystery as an entirely subjective quality). For all I know, I could be the only conscious being in the world and the rest of you are just behaviorally evolved to act in a way that I think suggests consciousness — but it may be that my consciousness is unique and independent of my behavior, even though it feels like consciousness preceeds action. That perception might be illusory. So A.I. could be conscious or not, and it wouldn't matter any more than it does in humans. What does matter is the feeling each of us has toward our partner and the sense of connectedness. Our goal in dating is to find someone with whom we're compatible, with complimentary personalities, who will grow with us over time in healthy and reasonably happy ways. If we could do that artificially, build A.I. that can adapt in ways that take much of the guesswork out of long-term compatibility, I'm not sure that's a bad thing — although I think it would require a better understanding of human psychology than we currently have, to know how that A.I. growth should happen, because it would have to work for different people at different stages of life with tons of variability, sometimes in non-intuitive ways (e.g., a bit of friction and conflict may be necessary for long-term success). So, ultimately, is it so pathetic to no longer worry about finding "the one" and wading through a bunch of unhealthy relationships when it would be possible to have guaranteed healthy, strong, compatible partnership? The more I've thought about this topic, the less objection I have to A.I. companions.

Are we cheaper? LoL.

Thousands, even.

We can always hope

watched the sequel last night. then again, it's a movie, not real life. ... yet?

You've put some thought into that. Sorry my response isn't as involved but right now my brain feels like mush from being at work all day

That's a good rule

Toronto is getting one of these as well.

some folks must be fucking desperate.

@Gurahl have you not seen the royal family ????

I don't think the poor will be able to afford AI sex for a very long time. By then rich people might be extinct.

@Gurahl those are the public faces talking about the ones behind the scenes lol

And why is that?

@Sticks48 Because they aren’t real humans. Some people like me with OCD have trouble with being touched. By people. I’ve worked hard to get to the point of being ok touching or being touched by people I’m comfortable with. May be it's easier for me when they are not humans even if they appear and act humanlike.

@graceylou Maybe so.

@Sticks48 Well, I’ve never tried it. You never know.

@graceylou You may get your chance pretty soon. I have seen some pretty amazing things in robotics lately.

@Sticks48 LOL it’s ok. I don’t need a robotic romance. Though I might teach them to dance and form a dance troupe.

@graceylou I saw sort of a robotic dog on TV the other day. It was impressive. You may get your shot at that too.

@Sticks48 Yes, that’s what I need. More dogs.

@graceylou They will be doing it with robotic people in no time.You might be able to have a troop of robotic dancing sex machines. Now that would be a show.

@Sticks48 And can turn them off when I’m tired of them.

@graceylou I thought you might like that aspect.

Not if AI is truly sentient and self aware. They will then be able to develop their own preferences, and it might not include any of us. Not if it is truly intelligent.

@KenChang great point.