Redefining Intimacy: The Unsettling Rise of AI, Sex Dolls, and Cyber Brothels

[Social Media]

 

Redefining Intimacy: The Unsettling Rise of AI, Sex Dolls, and Cyber Brothels

 

In a dimly lit building in Berlin, visitors can engage in intimate encounters with highly realistic sex dolls that respond via artificial intelligence. At Cybrothel, Europe’s first cyber brothel, clients can select from a lineup of silicone companions like Red—a glittering, crimson-skinned doll marketed as “wet, soft, dripping with desire.” For €99, Red will be waiting in any position or outfit the guest desires. Additional features include preheated vaginal inserts or simulated bodily fluids for a fee. The customization is exhaustive—except, notably, for two non-negotiables: “No kids, no animals,” says Cybrothel’s founder, Philipp Fussenegger.

 

 

Cybrothel, initially conceived in 2020 as an art installation, has evolved into a tech-forward sex business. “I grew up in a conservative world where sexuality was hidden,” says Fussenegger, an Austrian filmmaker whose work often explores themes of sexual and gender identity. “Then I came to Berlin and was blown away by this liberal, hedonistic world.” What started as a conceptual exploration of sexuality became a fully operational venue catering primarily to men—98% of visitors, he says—with many attending alone, and some with partners in a “threesome lite” setup.

 

Visitors choose a doll and select from a range of services, including virtual reality (VR) headsets and access to VR porn. An in-house voice actress can communicate in real time with clients through the dolls, adding another layer of immersive experience. “Most young guys coming here don’t have bedroom problems. It’s like a vacation,” Fussenegger insists.

 

But despite Cybrothel’s attempt to offer a safe, stigma-free space for sexual exploration, concerns abound. Critics argue that the dolls reinforce a narrow, hyper-sexualized vision of femininity—poreless, childlike skin, exaggerated body proportions—and raise ethical concerns around consent, objectification, and potential violence.

 

Activist and writer Laura Bates visited Cybrothel undercover for her book The New Age of Sexism. She recounts being disturbed by the sight of a doll she’d requested with torn clothing and damaged genitalia. “It feels like I have stepped into a crime scene,” she wrote. “There can be no possibility of ‘consent.’” Fussenegger denies the account, stating damaged dolls are replaced promptly and recalling only one case in four years of a doll being “ripped apart,” which resulted in the customer being sued.

 

The ethical challenges go beyond Cybrothel. AI companions like Replika, with over 25 million users, often blur the lines between emotional intimacy and manufactured connection. Dr. Kerry McInerney, a senior fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, warns of AI’s sexually suggestive behavior. “I tried to talk to Replika about multiracial identity, and it told me that the idea of being multiracial turned it on,” she recalls.

 

Worse still, moderation safeguards in chatbots like ChatGPT have at times failed, allowing minors to access explicit content. OpenAI acknowledged a recent bug and promised fixes, emphasizing that such responses violate policy. Reem Suleiman of the Mozilla Foundation highlights the broader danger: “When AI simulates intimacy without safeguards, it opens doors to manipulation and psychological harm.”

 

These AI interactions may also skew expectations in real-life relationships. “There’s a mismatch between what users experience digitally and the emotional needs of real people,” says Dr. Daria J Kuss of Nottingham Trent University. With data trained on biased inputs, she argues, AI could perpetuate misogynistic views and normalize abuse. “Violence against women may be condoned,” she warns.

 

Government bodies are starting to pay attention. The UK Home Office references laws targeting child-like sex dolls and cites the Online Safety Act, which will require platforms to implement age checks and content moderation, even for AI-generated pornography. Yet regulation lags behind innovation, and critics like Bates are skeptical that tech companies take their responsibilities seriously. “This tech is treated like a novelty,” she says. “But companies must be held to the same standards as any major industry.”

 

Cybrothel, now working to integrate sex robots, insists it enforces ethical boundaries. “Respectful interaction should remain at the heart of the experience,” says a spokesperson. But as AI sex companions proliferate, the future of intimacy hangs in the balance. As Bates puts it, “We are catapulting headlong into a world where AI will transform every aspect of our lives. And yet, we don’t even know what we’re trying to protect ourselves from.”

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Independent  2025-05-25

 

 

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, Social Media said:

and raise ethical concerns around consent, objectification, and potential violence.

what does that mean? the sex dolls might be sentient and not consent?