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Realistic sex robots programmed to speak, learn and move on their own have been generating interest as technology becomes more deeply rooted worldwide. Artificially intelligent androids designed to resemble humans have primarily been developed by tech companies to serve sexual purposes for men and woman.

A debate about the rise of these machines has focused on several inventions, including Realbotix’s Harmony, Synthea Amatus’s Samantha and Roxxxy’s True Companion.

Despite the efforts of these companies, androids being developed by inventors are generally considered to be expensive sex toys used exclusively for pleasure.

But as technology becomes more advanced, there are concerns among AI experts about the social and moral justification for creating sex robots.

(Image: RT/REALDOLL)

In Japan, for example, parallels have been drawn between the rapid population decline and the rise in popularity of technological devices, such as sex robots and “AI girlfriends”.Demography experts have partially blamed "a national mood of loneliness and alienation" on the rise in sex doll usage among Japanese men seeking sexual gratification. Others have sought more meaningful bonds with technology, among them Akihiko Kondo, a 35-year-old school administrator who married Hatsune Miku, a virtual reality singer. The peculiar case of Kondo, while not the norm, nevertheless highlights the extent to which technology has become embedded within Japanese society and culture.

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Dr Kate Devlin, senior lecturer in social and cultural artificial intelligence at King's College London, said the question of technology usage among males is proving to be a cause for concern in Japan. “There are fears that in countries such as Japan, where loneliness is a big social problem, robots could make things worse. Already there are AI 'girlfriends',” she told Daily Star Online.Last year Japan suffered its biggest population decline on record, underlining the birth rate crisis facing the country. An estimated 921,000 babies would be born by the end of 2018 – 25,000 fewer than last year and the lowest number since comparable records began in 1899, Japan’s health ministry said. Taking into account the number of deaths – 1.37 million – Japan’s population declined by a staggering 448,000 in 2018. The efforts of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to combat the low birth rate appear to be failing as demographers look for answers to explain the precipitous drop.

(Image: RT)

He has increased childcare places and introduced other measures to encourage couples to have more children in order to avert what he has described as a “national crisis”.Some experts have pointed the finger at silicone love dolls and life-like robots women and men in Japan are replacing with real people. Some researchers have cited the strong work ethic of Japanese people as a possible explanation for the lack of births.Dr Devlin said: “The declining birth rate is a problem, but it's a problem for many reasons, and economic factors play a huge part, so we can't just blame technology.” Dr Devlin, author of Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots, said sex robots are likely to be more popular with men than women if they become mainstream.

(Image: RT)

She said “I don't think think male sex robots for women will be as popular because there's already a well-established sex toy market for women.“For the men who are interested in buying female versions of sex robots, they are often looking for the companionship aspect too. “I would argue that women find it easier to find companionship in real life.” A documentary by RT, titled “Substitutes”, explored the growing trend of Japanese people using dolls and cyborgs as an outlet to express their romantic and sexual desires.

(Image: RT)

The film examines how sex dolls are reducing the birth rate.Sex doll salesman Noburu Tanaka told RT that having sex with a silicone girl is better than the real thing.He said: “It’s an amazing feeling. It looks like a doll, but you feel as though it’s really alive.“When you make love to your wife, there can be some problems. With a doll, none of that matters.”Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots by Dr Kate Devlin was released by Bloomsbury Publishing in October 2018.