Foundations of Erobotics

The Present and Future of Adult Entertainment: A Content Analysis of AI-Generated Pornography Websites

Fueled by advances in artificial intelligence (AI), the adult entertainment industry is undergoing a significant transformation. AI-generated pornography-or AI porn-is reshaping how people create and consume sexually explicit content, progressively offering rapid, mass access to large quantities of interactive and highly customizable experiences. Yet, despite its accelerated growth and potential implications for human eroticism, the current state of AI porn remains underexplored. Using a qualitative inductive content analysis, this study examined the functionalities, production strategies, and customization options available on websites allowing AI porn generation (n = 36). All websites included an English language option, which was used for this analysis. Following systematic open coding, categorization, and inter-rater validation, the prevalence of each category was quantified across website data. Results suggest that most sites presently enable image generation (80.6%), with others allowing video generation (41.7%), content alteration (e.g., deepnude, upscaling, facemorphing; 2.8-55.6%), and interactions with artificial agents (44.4%). AI porn generation also predominantly relies on feature selection (97.2%) and/or prompting (72.2%) to customize content elements, including character bases (e.g., human, fictional; 11.1-94.4%), sociodemographic characteristics (27.8-86.1%), body features (72.2%), clothing (75.0%), as well as foundational (resolution, theme, point-of-view; 22.2-69.4%) and contextual aspects (e.g., weather, setting, lighting; 11.1-63.9%). Carrying significant social and ethical implications, these findings point to a gradual evolution toward an AI-driven porn landscape where individuals can create and interact with sexual content tailored to their preferences and fantasies.

Sex Toy Use in Québec (Canada): Prevalence Across Demographics, Motivations, and Links with Erotophobia and Sexual Satisfaction

Sex toys are widely used in both solitary and partnered sexual activities, yet the sociodemographic characteristics and sexual wellbeing of users remain under-researched. This study examined solo and partnered sex toy users' sociodemographic characteristics and levels of erotophobia and sexual satisfaction in a Canadian community sample (n = 1,959). Participants completed an online survey, including a sociodemographic questionnaire, an inventory of sex toy usage, and validated measures of erotophobia and sexual satisfaction. Comparative analyses (i.e., t-tests, chi-squared) examined the differences in characteristics between individuals who use sex toys and those who do not, while binomial logistic regressions tested the main factors associated with solitary and partnered sex toy usage. Women, younger adults, self-identified virgins, homosexual or bi/pansexual individuals, and those with a history of childhood sexual victimization were more likely to report sex toy use. Sex toy users reported higher sexual satisfaction and lower erotophobia in both solo and partnered contexts than those who had not used sex toys. These findings offer important insights into the characteristics of sex toy users and suggest that further research is needed to understand how individual and sociocultural factors contribute to the relationship between sex toy usage and sexual wellbeing.

Human-Robot Intimacy: Acceptance of Robots as Intimate Companions

Depictions of robots as romantic partners for humans are frequent in popular culture. As robots become part of human society, they will gradually assume the role of partners for humans whenever necessary, as assistants, collaborators, or companions. Companion robots are supposed to provide social contact to those who would not have it otherwise. These companion robots are usually not designed to fulfill one of the most important human needs: the one for romantic and intimate contact. Human-robot intimacy remains a vastly unexplored territory. In this article, we review the state-of-the-art research in intimate robotics. We discuss major issues limiting the acceptance of robots as intimate partners, the public perception of robots in intimate roles, and the possible influence of cross-cultural differences in these domains. We also discuss the possible negative effects human-robot intimacy may have on human-human contact. Most importantly, we propose a new term "intimate companion robots" to reduce the negative connotations of the other terms that have been used so far and improve the social perception of research in this domain. With this article, we provide an outlook on prospects for the development of intimate companion robots, considering the specific context of their use.

Hot for Robots! Sexual Arousal Increases Willingness to Have Sex with Robots

Robots designed to elicit sexual arousal are coming. Sexual arousal can increase our willingness to engage in risky or unconventional sexual behaviors. However, researchers have yet to examine whether this effect extends to robots. Hence, this study provides the first empirical evidence that state sexual arousal can increase our willingness to engage erotically with robots. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that levels of sexual arousal would positively predict willingness to engage erotically with robots (Hypothesis 1); and that men would be more willing to engage erotically with robots than women (Hypothesis 2). A convenience sample of 321 adults (≥18y) completed a two-part online survey measuring their willingness to have sex with, love, engage in an intimate relationship with, and be friends with a robot and a human before and after viewing a sexually explicit video. The results partly support Hypotheses 1-2. They show that state sexual arousal increases willingness to have sex with a robot, and that men are more willing to have sex and engage in an intimate relationship with a robot than women, pre- and post-manipulation. These findings are important given the rise of sex robots and their potential influence on our intimate decisions and behaviors.

The Case for Space Sexology

Space poses significant challenges for human intimacy and sexuality. Life in space habitats during long-term travel, exploration, or settlement may: detrimentally impact the sexual and reproductive functions of astronauts, restrict privacy and access to intimate partners, impose hygiene protocols and abstinence policies, and heighten risks of interpersonal conflicts and sexual violence. Together, this may jeopardize the health and well-being of space inhabitants, crew performance, and mission success. Yet, little attention has been given to the sexological issues of human life in space. This situation is untenable considering our upcoming space missions and expansion. It is time for space organizations to embrace a new discipline, space sexology: the scientific study of extraterrestrial intimacy and sexuality. To make this case, we draw attention to the lack of research on space intimacy and sexuality; discuss the risks and benefits of extraterrestrial eroticism; and propose an initial biopsychosocial framework to envision a broad, collaborative scientific agenda on space sexology. We also underline key anticipated challenges faced by this innovative field and suggest paths to solutions. We conclude that space programs and exploration require a new perspective - one that holistically addresses the intimate and sexual needs of humans - in our pursuit of a spacefaring civilization.

Engagement with Emerging Forms of Sextech: Demographic Correlates from a National Sample of Adults in the United States

Social technology is ever-evolving, and increasingly offers novel domains for sexual experiences. In the current study, we investigated demographic correlates of engagement with emerging forms of sextech, defined here as internet-based applications, platforms, or devices used for sexual pleasure. Our web-based, demographically representative sample included 7,512 American adults aged 18-65 years, with a near-even gender split of men/women and moderate racial diversity (63% White). Participants indicated their engagement with eight forms of sextech, including six emerging forms of sexual technology (visiting erotic camming sites, participating in camming streams, teledildonic use, accessing virtual reality pornography, playing sexually explicit video games, and sexual messaging with chatbots or artificially intelligent entities) as well as two more common domains (online pornography and sexting). Participants who were younger, were men, had higher income, and were sexual minorities reported more frequent engagement with all forms of sextech assessed. Unlike prior work on pornography, religious individuals were more likely to engage with emerging sextech. Beyond online pornography (50%) and sexting (29%), visiting camming sites (18%) and playing sexually explicit video games (13%) were relatively common. Findings may contribute to the destigmatization of sextech engagement and forecast future norms in technologically-facilitated sexual behavior.

Where’s the tech in sex research? A brief critique and call for research

Internet and data-based technologies are ubiquitous in most societies around the world. People use online technologies (i.e., devices, software, platforms, applications, etc., that connect to the Internet through wired or wireless means) in almost all aspects of their daily lives, including sexuality. Yet, researchers have been slow to integrate online technologies in sexuality studies. The purpose of this paper is to briefly review the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating research about online technology with research about human sexuality. We argue that researchers focused on (almost) all topics of human sexuality would benefit from considering online technologies in their studies. We describe how people’s online and in-person experiences do not exist in separate vacuums; rather, they influence and are influenced by one another in an ongoing and dynamic fashion. We propose three ways that sexuality researchers can integrate technology and technology-informed research in their future studies that address some of the opportunities and challenges: adding variables and constructs, using technology-focused theories, and collaboration.

Sexbots as Synthetic Companions: Comparing Attitudes of Official Sex Offenders and Non-Offenders

This is the first Italian study to examine views on sexbots of adult male sex offenders and non-offenders, and their perceptions of sexbots as sexual partners, and sexbots as a means to prevent sexual violence. In order to explore these aspects 344 adult males were involved in the study. The study carried out two types of comparisons. 100 male sex offenders were compared with 244 male non-offenders. Also, sex offenders were divided into child molesters and rapists. Preliminary findings suggest that sex offenders were less open than non-offenders to sexbots, showed a lower acceptance of them, and were more likely to dismiss the possibility of having an intimate and sexual relationship with a sexbot. Sex offenders were also less likely than non-offenders to believe that the risk of sexual violence against people could be reduced if a sexbot was used in the treatment of sex offenders. No differences were found between child molesters and rapists. Though no definitive conclusion can be drawn about what role sexbots might play in the prevention and treatment of sex offending, this study emphasizes the importance of both exploring how sexbots are both perceived and understood. Sex offenders in this study showed a high dynamic sexual risk and, paradoxically, despite, or because of, their sexual deviance (e.g. deficits in sexual self-regulation), they were more inclined to see sexbots as just machines and were reluctant to imagine them as social agents, i.e. as intimate or sexual arousal partners. How sex offenders differ in their dynamic risk and criminal careers can inform experts about the mechanisms that take place and can challenge their engagement in treatment and intervention.