Leading artificial intelligence expert David Levy recently said that he expects human-robot marriages to become commonplace by 2050, and the recently revealed romantic relationship between a French woman and a robot she 3D-printed herself seems to confirm the beginning of this trend.
The first time I saw this story circulating online, I was almost convinced it was just a prank, not because it seems impossible to believe, but because the media tends to blow things out of proportion to attracts as many eyes as possible.
However, this one appears to be legit. The woman in question, known only as Lilly, or by her Twitter handle @LillyInMoovator, describes herself as a “proud robosexual” and told News.com.au via email that she is attracted only to robots and actually dislikes physical contact with human flesh.
Lilly claims that she loved the voices of robots as a child, but it was at the age of 19 that she discovered she was actually attracted to them as well. Her relationships with real men only seemed to confirm this.
“I’m really and only attracted by the robots,” the woman says. “My only two relationships with men have confirmed my love orientation, because I dislike really physical contact with human flesh.”
But, up until a few years, actually having a robot to fall in love with was nearly impossible for a regular person. Then 3d-printing happened, and everyone could create virtually anything. Lilly seized this opportunity to create her own robot, using open-source technology from a French company.
That’s how her robotic partner InMoovator came to be. The two are now reportedly “engaged, and Lilly says they will be married as soon as such a union become legal in France.
“I’m really and totally happy,” @LillyInMoovator says. “Our relationship will get better and better as technology evolves.”
She adds that her unusual romantic relationship has been accepted by family and friends, but that “some understand better than others.”
“I’m a proud robosexual, we don’t hurt anybody, we a re just happy,” Lilly’s Twitter profile reads. “It is not ridiculous, bad or pathology, it’s just a new love direction, a new lifestyle.” Despite her peaceful attitude, Lilly has become the target of cyberbullying after her story went viral in international media.
Things apparently got so bad that she had to make her Twitter profile private. That’s sad, as she said, she really isn’t hurting anybody, so people should mind their own business.