Sex robots are in vogue, but they haven’t exactly hit the mainstream. Sill, we do depend, in varying degrees, on technologies, such as social media and dating apps, that engage the human need for connection, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction. These existing and emerging technologies – Artificial Intimacies or ArtInt, for short – are poised to alter humanity’s future, says evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks in his book: Artificial Intimacy: Virtual Friends, Digital Lovers, and Algorithmic Matchmakers.

The book delves into the latest research on how new technologies stimulate ancient human drives that make us a social species. Powered by algorithms and fueled by data, these technologies, learn to push our psychological buttons better each day. Soon, ArtInt will push our sensory buttons too. Brooks gives us historical context for this expectation for the future. In many societies, since the advent of agriculture, sex was upheld as something rare, special and precious.

Whatever your romantic proclivities, this nuanced book written in clean, clear prose makes for compelling reading. Even if you believe you will never settle for ersatz sex or friendship, you may want to know about the possibilities for intimacy that could soon be available to denizens of the wired world.

In the words of the great Futurama educational film, "Don't Date Robots!" Brooks' "Artificial Intimacy" is an approachable text that deals with the advances and perceived future of where a different form of the titular AI is developing based off historical trends and dynamics. From there, topics such as porn, Boko Haram, incels, and of course sex robots are discussed with what we might expect as technology continues evolve, especially on the sex robot front. Brooks already anticipates Futurama's film strips concern with sex robots to become an actual conservative moral panic once they become more widespread and affordable.

An interesting read for those interested in the technology of pleasure. I would have enjoyed a dive into the information security nightmare that contemporary teledildonics is (as catalogued in the beautifully named Internet Of Dongs blog), but that is my personal InfoSec preference showing.

Contained some food for thought. There was a lot of emphasis on the fact that human beings have limited social capacity at a time, and that substitutes like social media actually use those capacities as well. This point was expanded further with how different future and already present technology could affect it, highlighting not only the rather obvious downsides but also possible advantages. Although at its core it seems like a simple truth, i personally hadn't pondered on it nearly enough, so from this aspect i found the discussion insightful. Sometimes the read got a bit repetitive, though.

Surprisingly (or maybe not, if you really think about the subject matter!) a substantial part of this book actually focuses on different examples from past and present how societies function in regards to intimacy and sex. While sometimes it added to the arguments, there were times when the different passages didn't connect as smoothly to me.

The passage where different future realities or rather dystopias were presented drawing from different pop culture works (The Handmaiden's Tale and the movie Her, to name a couple) was a pretty refreshing part in the latter stages of the book.

Ultimately a fairly cumulative look on the future prospects of artificial intimacy, and their good & bad, and, of course, grey sides! Also offers a couple of good points about machine learning, data privacy, sexual conflicts and sociology.

Written in an approachable manner, it was an easy-going read.

This is a book about sex, and despite the title, not just sex in the age of the internet. Author Rob Brooks is a Professor of Evolution at the University of New South Wales, and puts sexual conduct today in the context of the whole human story. Technology, he argues, has always impacted sexuality "because new technologies changed how women and men make their livings and thus how they relate to one another," whether that is taming animals, industrialization, or the contraceptive pill.

The book begins with a chapter on "artificial intimacies," such as sex robots or online chatbots. "They will likely transform the quality of human life," he writes, perhaps with a bit of exaggeration, but he is never one to understate his case. His writing style is light and infused with dry humour, so the pages turn quickly as we explore everything from internet dating to the mating habits of bonobos and chimpanzees. We learn that the male of a species evolve large testicles if "females mate with many males in close succession," to improve their chances of impregnation. Then we move to artificial intelligence, Robin Dunbar's rules about the number of friends humans tend to have, social media, dating sims, sexually cannibalistic insects, romance fraud on the internet, deepfake images, cyberstalking, discussion of whether easily available pornography increases rape - it does not, apparently, being more likely to diminish it, but it may have a negative effect on long-term relationships - and much more.

Another section I found fascinating was about polygyny, when men have more than one wife. "Every time a man takes an extra wife, another man, probably young and poor, is rendered unable to find one," Brooks explains. The consequence is that "radicalisation and violence follow closely behind." Brooks links this, along with a related tradition of a bride price, to the Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria. The negative impact of numeric imbalance between the sexes is also cause for concern in China and north-west India, thanks to "historic preferences for sons over daughters." There is a long discussion of the impact of InCel – involuntary celibacy – especially on young males. Can artificial intimacy make society safer by curbing the rage of InCels? It could go either way, Brooks remarks.

I picked up this book in the hope of learning more about how technology is impacting human relationships. In that respect, the book delivers, though I also found it somewhat breathless, with a tendency to jump about between topics. I did enjoy the author's concluding chapter, where he argues that artificial intimacy should be allowed to develop "with some openness and freedom", as it "is more likely to ease than add to sexual suppression, reproductive coercion and top-down social control." He does see dangers though, including from moralists, conservatives, and control by tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Apple.

Recommended, though I would have liked a slower pace and sharper focus.

It was an enjoyable reading. The author brought all the data and statistics to present in a clear way the idea of artificial intimacy and why or how it might develop in a certain way in the near future or distant future. Maybe it talked too much about sex robots but overall I enjoyed the book.

This book is not only about machine learning and artificial intelligence; it gives us an in-depth analysis of our society and how different events from the past have shaped our lives. The author explains social dynamics throughout history and how recent events have dramatically changed the way we interact with one another. At times it may seem as if the focus has shifted, but I can assure you that everything he explains has a specific reason.

I found this book particularly interesting as I work with machine learning everyday. It is somewhat stunning to see the social consequences this technology has in the makeup of our society and the possible future repercussions. I liked that the author didn't have a particular bias against or pro the technology in itself but showed both sides of the argument that experts are having today regarding the application of these "artificial intimacies".

The future may not be set in stone but we are surely going to see a lot of machine learning and artificial intelligence in our everyday lives (as we already do) so I find it very useful to know more about it. That's the reason why I absolutely recommend this book.

This book provides an interesting look at how artificial intimacy (AI) could potentially change societies, economies and our' interpersonal relationships . It offers a very much needed conversation about the implications of artificial intimacy for our human needs and social structure.

The book is clearly well-researched and thought out. The writing is intellectual and approachable, and made my reading experience really enjoyable. Fascinating concepts like grooming, gender inequality and sexual conflicts brought by AI were introduced and explained in depth in an easy-to-understand manner. The author also provides a comprehensive conclusion/recommendation with recognition that there's no one size fits all solution.

Yet, the scope of AI tech covered is quite narrow. While there's some exploration on matchmaking apps and virtual friends, the book mainly revolves around sex robots. I was hoping for more discussion on a wider range of possible AI applications. The book also largely focuses on the needs and wants of men. Not that women are being written in a disrespectful way, it's just with all the analysis on, e.g. how sex robots can be used to defuse anger of InCel, there's no (or little) mention of what they can do for women.

All in all, I'd still recommend this book!