“Oh robot, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…”  Now how about, "Oh sexy robot. How do I make love to thee? Let me configure the settings..."

Robots have been a pillar in science fiction for decades, a cornerstone for futuristic fantasy fueled by technolust. We have finally reached the moment when science fiction becomes science fact, with robotics becoming commercialized at an all-time high rate for widespread industrial and consumer use. And now, robots are even being developed for sexual functions, which could replace human romantic partners altogether for a percentage of the population.

Well, that got our Sci-fi Sense a-tingling, so strap in / on as we explore some uncharted territories in this special four-part series, where we’ll dive phone-first into the rise of AI-enabled robots and their potential impacts on society and life on earth.

In this first part, we’ll look at the history of robots and various depictions of female-identified robot characters in sci-fi, in an effort to trace the origins of robots created for intimacy, through the lens of mainstream and cult classics including Westworld, Austin Powers, Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and more. 

One word of advice: turn Siri and Alexa off for this, they might not like the material...