Smart sex dolls could spark a population crisis

The gradual refinement of smart sex dolls could lead to a decline in the global birth rate and ultimately an increase in the total global population, as lonely singles begin to abandon traditional human interactions in favor of AI robot dolls, a sociology expert has warned. reduce.

Among them, Japan in Asia is a typical representative. The Japanese are becoming an “endangered species” as their domestic population plummets as the number of babies born dwindles.

About 921,000 babies were born in Japan in 2022, 25,000 fewer than in 2017. According to statistics, this is the lowest level since records began in 1899. About 1.3 million people died that same year, which meant Japan’s population plummeted by nearly 400,000.

Dr Kate Devlin, a senior lecturer in social and cultural artificial intelligence at King’s College London and a top expert in artificial intelligence, has warned that smart sex dolls will exacerbate the crisis.

Dr Devlin told the Daily Star: “In a country like Japan, where loneliness is a serious social problem, there are fears that robots will make it worse.”

“There are AI ‘partners’ now. For those who are interested in buying a robot, they are usually looking for a partner of the opposite sex.”

In 2022, a documentary called “Stupid” aired on Russia Today, revealing the growing trend of smart sex dolls. The film focuses on how these life-size sex dolls can help with national feelings of loneliness and alienation.

The popularity of sex dolls is not unique to Japan, with sales soaring worldwide.

In 2022 alone, 2,500 smart sex dolls were sold in Japan, priced at 40,000 yuan each, according to sex doll company Dutch Wives.

Sex doll salesman Noburu Tanaka said: “It’s a wonderful feeling. It looks like a doll, but you feel like it’s a real person. There may be some problems with daily communication. , but with it, these It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Kanako Amano, a demographer at the NLI Institute in Tokyo, said: “Japan’s biggest problem is the decline in birth rates and population. This is a disaster for Japan and a warning to humanity. The Japanese are at a crossroads and facing extinction. Threatened .”