{"product_id":"9781472950901","title":"Turned On : Science, Sex and Robots","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eTurned On\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Kate Devlin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn exploration of sexuality, technology, and humanity through the promises of artificial intelligence.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe idea of the seductive sex robot is the stuff of myth, legend and science fiction. But beyond the fantasies there are real and fundamental questions about our relationship with technology as it moves into the realm of robotics. Artificial intelligence raises very real concerns. Sexual activity is central to our very existence; it shapes how we think, how we act and how we live. With advances in technology come machines that may one day think independently. What will happen to us when we form close relationships with these intelligent systems? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter by chapter, this book builds on the science and the philosophy surrounding our most intimate relationship with technology. The scene is set with the history of the artificial sexual companion, then goes on to explore the \"modern\" robot and the twentieth century sci-fi that promised us our own robot slaves. An explanation of artificial intelligence and the urge to create sentient machines delves into our own psychology: how does desire affect our own behavior, and can we become attached to an inanimate object? Can robots make society a better place? And what can go wrong?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSex robots are here, and here to stay--and more are coming. This book explores how the emerging and future development of sexual companion robots might affect us, and our society. It explores the social changes arising from emerging technologies, and our relationships with the machines that may someday care for us and about us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An immensely absorbing and provocative book on the past, present, and future of robosexuality . . . A curiously fascinating study.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eIlluminating\u003c\/b\u003e, witty and written with a wide open mind.” —\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A \u003cb\u003elively, waggish guide\u003c\/b\u003e to these uncharted waters, tracing ethics, sexuality, intimacy and the uncanny.” —\u003ci\u003eTatler\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A \u003cb\u003ehighly readable\u003c\/b\u003e romp through the history of computers, robots and sex toys [...] A \u003cb\u003efascinating\u003c\/b\u003e introduction to the state of sex-tech.” —\u003ci\u003eScience\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“For fans of \u003ci\u003eHumans\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWestworld\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eI, Robot\u003c\/i\u003e. Or anyone who's ever enjoyed a flirtation with Alexa. Devlin takes us right through the AI revolution and its potential impact on our relationships [with] a \u003cb\u003erelaxed and chatty\u003c\/b\u003e tone.” —\u003ci\u003eCosmopolitan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An\u003cb\u003e engaging \u003c\/b\u003esurvey of the history of humanoids.” —\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A timely, \u003cb\u003evital\u003c\/b\u003e treatise [...] With charm and wit she tackles thorny issues.” —\u003ci\u003eWired\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An unusually \u003cb\u003ecool-headed tour\u003c\/b\u003e of the current sexbot terrain. [...] Devlin's calmer, more evidence-based middle path seems appealing, especially in an area where so much polemic has already risked deadening the nerves.” —\u003ci\u003eHarper's Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of Devlin's achievements is to humanise the sex robot makers and users – \u003cb\u003ewe are invited not to laugh at them, but to understand them\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Big on \u003cb\u003ebreadth and charm\u003c\/b\u003e ... loaded with facts and anecdotes.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Saturday Paper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This \u003cb\u003ebrilliant\u003c\/b\u003e book is an \u003cb\u003eintelligent, clear-eyed and often very funny\u003c\/b\u003e deep dive into the history and future of love and machinery.” —\u003ci\u003eWarren Ellis, author of Transmetropolitan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“After millennia of fornicating with foreign objects, the ultimate sex toy has finally arrived. Kate Devlin unpacks the very long, very dense history of the sex robot with \u003cb\u003estyle and wit\u003c\/b\u003e. Spoiler alert: we haven't reached \u003ci\u003eWestworld\u003c\/i\u003e ... yet.” —\u003ci\u003eChristopher Trout, Editor-in-Chief, Engadget\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eTurned On\u003c\/i\u003e, Kate Devlin – the thinking person's navigator to the complex and potentially life-enhancing terrain of the sex robot – looks at the history of AI-enhanced erotic toys, then \u003cb\u003eventures far beyond our wildest imaginings\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eRowan Pelling, Editor of The Amorist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781472950901\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Sigma","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40708912251086,"sku":"9781472950901","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_6d97da38-4483-47a8-94cd-d40cade58bb7.jpg?v=1640667659","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781472950901","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}