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Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships Audiobook
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(3.00) - 166 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From Pygmalion falling for his chiseled Galatea to Dr. Frankenstein marveling at his creature to the man-meets-machine fiction of Philip K. Dick and Michael Crichton, humans have been enthralled by the possibilities of emotional relationships with their technological creations. Synthesizing cutting-edge research in robotics with the cultural history and psychology of artificial intelligence, Love and Sex with Robots explores this fascination and its far-reaching implications. Artificial intelligence expert David Levy looks at the evolution of human interactions with their machines as technology has become more sophisticated and cultural attitudes toward love and sex have changed over the years. His shocking yet persuasive argument is that the entities we once deemed cold and mechanical will soon become the objects of real companionship and human desire.
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"A well written coherent summary of the field. Since I am already obsessed with the topic and the nature of relationships generally, there was little new or diverting. A good book to get started thinking in the area. "
— Johnnywow (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Levy points out that we’re perfectly capable of falling in love with non-humans, including our pets, our teddy bears, our computers and our computerized pets...Once you realize how easy it is to think of your own laptop as a sympathetic friend, how much more difficult is it to imagine having fond feelings for a robot programmed to interact with you in exactly the way your heart desires?”
— New York Times -
“[Levy] comes up with so many rational, scientific, and sociologically sound arguments that the deeper you get into the book, the more difficult it becomes to dismiss his thesis.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“Will appeal to readers keen on pondering futuristic scenarios.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Fascinating. It raises important questions about the future of robots…and what our interactions with them might teach us about ourselves.”
— New Scientist
Love and Sex with Robots Listener Reviews
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" Still haven't finished with this book but I love everything about it. It's a lot of fun. (Audio version please!!!) "
— Fancy, 1/16/2014 -
" I gave up on this one about half way through. Pretty boring writer eve though he's a very knowledgeable person. Also it seemed strange that all of his case studies had to do with computers from 1985.... "
— Andrew, 8/3/2013 -
" His analysis section uses materials and sources that overlap from those I used in my dissertation on Artificial Vaginas and Sex Dolls. "
— Cynmo, 7/16/2013 -
" A well written coherent summary of the field. Since I am already obsessed with the topic and the nature of relationships generally, there was little new or diverting. A good book to get started thinking in the area. "
— Johnnywow, 8/24/2012 -
" Written in a limpid, accessible style. I'm not rating it higher because I already agreed with every point the author made (not his fault, granted), which made for interesting (new substantiation of arguments I believe in) but not thought-provoking (new ideas/concepts) reading. "
— Mathieu, 11/5/2011 -
" This book would have been much better off as an essay- if that. "
— Theresa, 11/5/2011 -
" Reads better the second time around four years later. Still, I think most people would find his predictions creepy. But then so were inter-racial marriage and gay-marriage in their time. "
— Hom, 1/21/2011 -
" This book seemed to be written by a very smart, precocious, 11-year old boy with Asperger's. So imagine my surprise when I saw the author's photo in the back jacket flap. "
— John, 10/20/2010 -
" Good introduction and historical overview for the uninitiated. "
— Michael, 9/22/2010 -
" This book seemed to be written by a very smart, precocious, 11-year old boy with Asperger's. So imagine my surprise when I saw the author's photo in the back jacket flap. "
— John, 2/22/2010 -
" Still haven't finished with this book but I love everything about it. It's a lot of fun. (Audio version please!!!) "
— Fancy, 9/20/2008 -
" Written in a limpid, accessible style. I'm not rating it higher because I already agreed with every point the author made (not his fault, granted), which made for interesting (new substantiation of arguments I believe in) but not thought-provoking (new ideas/concepts) reading. "
— Mathieu, 3/30/2008 -
" 1) People fall in love<br/>2) People form attachments<br/>3) People use machines for physical needs<br/>4) ????<br/>5) Hot buttery robot love!<br/><br/>Point 1-3 are fleshed out well. Point 5 is the conclusion. Point 4 is what's lacking. "
— Mike, 2/10/2008 -
" I gave up on this one about half way through. Pretty boring writer eve though he's a very knowledgeable person. Also it seemed strange that all of his case studies had to do with computers from 1985.... "
— Andrew, 12/10/2007
About David Levy
David Levy is an internationally recognized expert on artificial intelligence. The president of the International Computer Games Association, he is also the author of the industry primer Robots Unlimited.
About James Adams
James Adams is one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and intelligence, and for more than twenty-five years he has specialized in national security. He is also the author of fourteen bestselling books on warfare, with a particular emphasis on covert warfare. A former managing editor of the London Sunday Times and CEO of United Press International, he trained as a journalist in England, where he graduated first in the country. Now living in Southern Oregon, he has narrated numerous audiobooks and earned an AudioFile Earphones Award and two coveted Audie Award for best narration.