I Do
News of a robot engineer in China, named Zheng Jiajia, made his own robot, which he married after. Named Yingying, he chose a robot for a wife because of being pressured by his relatives to marry. Jiajia, a former Huawei employee, plans to upgrade his spouse to do more stuff like that of a human.
Meanwhile, a bodiless AI robot in Japan also tied the knot. Akihiko Kondo married a holographic Hatsune Miku, a popular digital singer. Created by Vinclu in 2017, the Gatebox gizmo allows a fan to spend time with their idol via hologram. It was a coping mechanism for Kondo after falling into depression.
The Robot Wife
A robot wife might sound weird and outright crazy, but Dave Levy predicted that in 2050, human-robot marriage might become legal, and in turn socially acceptable. The general public will raise their eyebrows if you do this at this era, but for those who already went through this form of marriage, they are very happy with their decision.
Why so? Reason being, a robot wife (or husband) rids of marriage and relationship complications. Robot wives are fully obedient, uncomplaining, uncomplicated, and readily available. But they can be a shoulder to cry on and a loyal companion, a seemingly perfect partner to be with in this lonely world.
They are also economically favorable to keep and you would not worry about having unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. They do not transmit sexually transmitted diseases, and when you are feeling kinky, their love mode is just a push of a button.
Robot wives and husbands can also have high tech sensors that can read your vital signs and in turn act according to your emotional needs. Say, if you’re feeling depressed, they might ask how you are feeling and would start to comfort you.
The Good
This kind of robot technology has its advantages, not only for the married human spouse, but also in society. There are instances where culture and population do not get along In terms of figures, like in China, where the ratio of men is more numerous than that of women, but they are familialy pressured to get married.
Another is when the opposite happens: overpopulation. Instead of human prostitution, that sometimes also lead to human trafficking and illegal minor employment, sex robots can be used. Sure, they also require maintenance, but it is not as immoral and as health hazardous as real women.
Still another is the fact that it can be a form of coping mechanism for the depressed and lonely. Loneliness is attributed to being depressed, and it can be curbed with a robot companion for mental and emotional support system that can double as a sexual partner.
Perhaps as this technology starts to develop, we would see other advantages not only for the married individual, but also in societal, economical, and even geopolitical aspects.
The Bad
Inventions are not without disadvantages, and robot technology is no exception. For one, replacing a real human with a humanoid robot for a wife might cause underpopulation, if many would engage in this type of relationship. Countries, like Japan, would be at risk if this were to happen, as they are literally a tech savvy population and their current espousal culture is dwindling because their young professionals prefer to be romantically noncommittal to fellow humans.
Because of having a perfect spouse, its human partner might be psychologically affected at alarming levels. He/she might develop a domineering and a dangerous level of a control-freak attitude, instead of giving the robot the same loving emotional treatment as a true human wife.
Having a robot for a wife is also at a disadvantage, especially if one finally longs for a child. There other ways to have a biological child, but one’s wife will not have any part of it, except for being an artificial mother. The child might develop other impressions psychologically that might affect his/her behavior and view of the world.
On a technical note, robots can be prone to wear and tear, just like other objects. They can also bug down and is reliant on electricity or batteries. They also need constant upgrading should one wants a more high tech version of one’s spouse. They might malfunction if you need them the most, which would be unreliable.
The Ugly
What could be the repercussions should this type of robot technology becomes the norm?
People who might have experienced this kind of robot-human relationship may have a different conflated expectation for their next relationship. Else, they might even be more shy and indifferent to the option of being in a natural romantic relationship. They will gradually be withdrawn from valuable human interaction as their preference for the perfect wife increases.
Loss of human connection might soon strongly follow. Because of pure convenience and ease, humans might distant themselves from other humans and the human to human connection that glues us as a society might diminish. Meaningful, unpredictable interaction will be lost little by little, and we are left being more lonely and depressed.
Human values and virtues will be undeveloped like patience, understanding, and trust, as these are not requisite of having a robot wife. Because one always gets what he/she wants from a robot, it would mean that character development, that also naturally occurs while in a relationship, will not grow well or will not grow at all.
Wrap Up
People have done many things in pursuit of happiness, one having married a robot. Because of other personal reasons like pressure and loneliness, one chooses to live with an AI robot for good. We can understand that the reasons are valid, simply because human intervention from their problems is lacking.
This is a saddening state of humanity though—that we resort to inanimate objects like an AI robot to make us feel better and fulfill our basic needs. If the world must have been a better place for humans to thrive and live in harmony with, without it being too complicated, people’s emotional and sexual needs must have been fulfilled naturally.
But hey, welcome to life.
