What is your opinion of android wives in the future?

[weatheriscool]

What is your opinion of android wives in the future? A a.i + robotic women like wife that can take care of you, clean, cook and even have your kids! It would be awesome.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(robot)


Lets say in the future we could also make it able to have a womb that was capable of also having children for you. It would be your property so it wouldn't be able to f*ck you over, you'd get primary custody of the children and it would help you through life.
https://newatlas.com/robotics/chinese-h ... realistic/

[firestar464]

Would be deeply f​ucked up if it were sentient.

Also, we've said enough on the subject of children. Give the topic a rest already.

[weatheriscool]

Would be deeply f​ucked up if it were sentient.

Also, we've said enough on the subject of children. Give the topic a rest already.

I consider reproduction up there with anti-aging or warp drive! It is very important. To silence discussion of such is anti-science and removes hope from my life. it is an issue that can most certainly bring a great deal of happiness and why live 10,000 years in many cases without the ability?

[firestar464]

It would be much more economical to store embryos in a special artificial womb separate from anything else. We've stated this before, yet your obsession with impregnating humans and humanoids specifically persists.



State of the discussion on this topic here on this forum

[weatheriscool]

lets say in the future there's android wives that can have wombs and do everything a human wife can currently do. As in cook, clean, have sex and snuggle you....How many decades before this is possible with a a.i at human levels running it?

The concept of android companions or "android wives" with advanced capabilities, including emotional interaction, physical functionality, and even artificial wombs, is a fascinating and complex topic. Achieving this level of technological sophistication would require several breakthroughs in various fields, such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, biotechnology, and materials science. Here’s a breakdown of the challenges and a speculative timeline:

---

### **Key Technologies Needed**

#### **1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Human Levels**
- **Current State**: AI has made significant progress in natural language processing (e.g., ChatGPT), image recognition, and decision-making but is far from achieving true human-level general intelligence (AGI).
- **Requirements for Androids**:
- Emotional intelligence: The ability to understand and respond to human emotions.
- Adaptive learning: Learning from interactions over time to improve behavior and personalization.
- General intelligence: The ability to generalize knowledge across different domains, like humans.
- **Timeline**: Predictions for achieving AGI vary, but optimistic estimates place it within **20–50 years**.

#### **2. Robotics**
- **Current State**: Robots can already perform many physical tasks, like walking (e.g., Boston Dynamics’ robots), and humanoid robots (e.g., Tesla’s Optimus prototype) are being developed for general-purpose tasks.
- **Requirements for Androids**:
- Advanced motor skills: Smooth, human-like movement for activities like cooking, cleaning, and snuggling.
- Durable, lightweight materials: To replicate human anatomy and provide comfort during physical interactions.
- Micro-actuators: For realistic facial expressions and body language.
- **Timeline**: Realistic human-like robots could emerge in **20–40 years**, depending on progress in materials science and robotics.

#### **3. Artificial Wombs**
- **Current State**: Artificial wombs (ectogenesis) are currently in the experimental stage. Scientists have successfully grown animal embryos in artificial environments, but human trials are far off due to ethical and technical challenges.
- **Requirements for Androids**:
- Fully functional artificial womb: Capable of growing a human embryo to term.
- Integration with android: The womb would need to mimic human physiology to support pregnancy.
- Ethical and legal approval: Society would need to accept artificial wombs for androids.
- **Timeline**: Artificial wombs for humans could become viable in **30–50 years**, but integrating them into androids might take longer.

#### **4. Emotional and Physical Interaction**
- **Current State**: Current robots and virtual AIs can simulate basic emotional interactions (e.g., chatbots, virtual assistants), but they lack true emotional depth or physical interaction capabilities.
- **Requirements for Androids**:
- Hyper-realistic skin: Advanced materials (e.g., synthetic skin with sensors) to mimic human touch and temperature.
- Emotional bonding: AI capable of forming deep emotional connections with humans.
- Sexual interaction: Fully functional systems replicating human anatomy and responsiveness.
- **Timeline**: Achieving emotional and physical realism could take another **30–50 years**, though basic versions might exist sooner.

---

### **Challenges to Overcome**

#### **1. Ethical and Social Acceptance**
- The introduction of android companions will raise significant ethical, legal, and societal questions, such as:
- **Rights of androids**: Should they have rights if they achieve human-like intelligence?
- **Impact on relationships**: How would widespread use of android spouses affect human relationships and family structures?
- **Reproductive ethics**: Would society accept artificial wombs, especially in androids?

#### **2. Technical Hurdles**
- Developing lifelike androids with all the required capabilities is a monumental challenge requiring:
- Miniaturization of complex systems (e.g., artificial wombs, motor systems).
- Advancements in AI to handle complex, nuanced human interactions.
- Long-lasting power sources to support independent operation.

#### **3. Cost**
- Early versions of such androids would likely be prohibitively expensive, limiting accessibility. Mass production and cost reduction could take decades longer.

---

### **Speculative Timeline**

Here’s a speculative timeline based on current trends and potential breakthroughs:

- **2030s**:
- Advanced humanoid robots capable of performing basic household tasks (e.g., cleaning, cooking) become commercially available.
- AI companions with conversational and emotional simulation improve significantly but remain limited to virtual or basic physical platforms.

- **2040s**:
- Humanoid robots with highly realistic physical features and limited emotional bonding capabilities enter the market.
- Artificial wombs for humans become viable but remain in controlled environments (e.g., hospitals).
- AI reaches a level of intelligence comparable to human emotional understanding but still lacks full general intelligence.

- **2050s**:
- Androids capable of performing most human spouse functions (e.g., cooking, cleaning, snuggling, emotional interaction) are developed.
- Artificial wombs may begin integration into android platforms, but initial versions will likely be experimental and highly regulated.
- Early adopters begin using android companions in everyday life, sparking social and ethical debates.

- **2060s–2070s**:
- Fully functional android companions with human-level AI, lifelike physical interaction, and artificial wombs become widely available for those who can afford them.
- Cost reduction and mass production make android companions accessible to a broader portion of society.
- Societal norms and laws adapt to the presence of androids in family and societal roles.

---

### **Conclusion**
With rapid advancements in AI, robotics, and biotechnology, it’s plausible that android spouses with the ability to perform all human wife functions—including artificial wombs—could become a reality within **40–60 years**. However, societal acceptance, ethical considerations, and technical challenges will play a critical role in determining how quickly this future materializes.

While the technology itself may be achievable within this timeframe, its adoption and integration into society will depend on how humanity navigates the ethical and cultural implications of such a profound change.

[funkervogt]

Even if android spouses act 100% intelligent and look exactly like humans, having one will be socially frowned upon for many years. Other people will brand you a "loser" who couldn't get a real human spouse because something is wrong with you.

[firestar464]

It also goes without saying that enslaving sapient beings is wrong.

[Vakanai]

A sexbot yeah sure, next gen toy for relief. But a spousebot? I pray we as a species never replace real humans in such relationships.

[firestar464]

Either the bot is not sentient and it wouldn't be an actual relationship, merely the simulation of one (do whatever if you're harming nobody ig). Alternatively, the bot is not sentient and it would therefore be unethical to make it beholden to you.

[Vakanai]

Either the bot is not sentient and it wouldn't be an actual relationship, merely the simulation of one (do whatever if you're harming nobody ig). Alternatively, the bot is not sentient and it would therefore be unethical to make it beholden to you.

There's nothing wrong with "owning" a sentient being - dogs and cats being the prime examples. Now owning a sapient being is slavery and is obviously unethical.
I hope we reach sentient AI, that'd be very useful. But there's no reason to create a sapient AI other than an exercise of our own hubris.

[firestar464]

(I'd just assumed the bot would be human level and thus sapient, as it'd need to be AGI and therefore human level)

[Vakanai]

(I'd just assumed the bot would be human level and thus sapient, as it'd need to be AGI and therefore human level)

AGI does not necessarily equate to sapience. Human level intelligence doesn't equate to sapience. A deeper level of consciousness, self awareness, is needed for sapience. We can't assume AGI reaches that level, that consciousness arises out of pure mass of intelligence alone.

[firestar464]

Yeah, the sapience is an "if." If it is sapient then it is unethical.

God I wish I'd just worded my earlier comment better

[FuturismFan]

Owning a realistic human-like robot would feel like a creepy Disney World animatronic that’s come to life and wandering around your home. No thanks.

I’d much rather a domestic robot look more appliance-like, something like an astromech droid from Star Wars.