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As It Happens

Sex doll creator defends his plans for artificially intelligent dolls

A company that produces what's been called the “Rolls-Royce” of sex dolls has begun developing a doll with artificial intelligence -- despite a campaign this week from a group of robot ethicists to ban the development of sex robots.
CBC Radio ·
Silicone RealDoll sex dolls creator, Matt McMullen, has just launched a new venture called RealBotix, to incorporate artificial intelligence into sex dolls. He wonders if the creators behind a campaign to ban the development of sex robots have "anything better to do." (David McNew/Getty Images (left) Ric Francis/AP (right))

A company that produces what's been called the "Rolls-Royce" of sex dolls has begun developing a doll with artificial intelligence -- despite a campaign this week from a group of robot ethicists to ban the development of sex robots.

On the Wednesday, As It Happens spoke to Kathleen Richardson, a robot ethicist at de Montfort University in Leicester, England. Richardson is calling for a ban on robots capable of having sex.

But that hasn't stopped RealDoll, a company based out of San Marcos, California, to begin designing dolls with artificial intelligence. The dolls will have personalities, responses and emotions. As Matt McMullen explains to As It Happens host Carol Off, it's part of a project called RealBotix.

"It's a number of different technologies that we're hoping to integrate… helping those who have been emotionally or relationship-challenged as it were. Over the years that I've been making the RealDoll, we notice that a lot of people get tremendous benefit from having a doll," McMullen says.

Silicone RealDoll sex doll faces receive teeth at the Abyss Creations factory in San Marcos, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Richardson has argued that when humans use sex robots, they're reinforcing "abusive forms of relationships…[having] your needs met, without considering another party." But McMullen believes that's a narrow view.

"[Our customers] don't look at their dolls as a sex slave. The AI that we're developing can discuss politics with you, it can discuss a book you read, it can discuss who is this author and who is this musician. And I think a lot of the people that end up buying them have a need to take care of someone, because they don't have anyone in their life. So how is it wrong to provide them an alternative for that? If it makes them happy, what's the big deal?"

A worker ships crates of finished silicone RealDoll sex dolls at the Abyss Creations factory in San Marcos, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

McMullen understands there's a general uneasiness around artificial intelligence and robots. But he says popular culture is to blame for exaggerating the risks.

"I think there has been too many movies like Terminator that give people this fear that the artificial intelligence is going to become so smart that it will take over various aspects of our lives. And at least insofar as what we're doing, that's just not the case. It's not possible," he says.

McMullen hopes to unveil the RealDolls outfitted with artificial intelligence sometime in the next two years, and he estimates about $10,000 per doll.

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