This man had an awkward conversation with an A.I. sex robot so you don't have to

Depending on your tolerance for stilted conversation, Abyss Creations has created the sex partner of your dreams

Published August 10, 2017 5:12PM (EDT)

 (Youtube/CNET)
(Youtube/CNET)

Artificial intelligence has given people the ability to have conversations with machines like never before, such as speaking to Amazon's personal assistant Alexa or asking Siri for directions on your iPhone. But now, one company has widened the scope of what it means to connect with a technological device and created a whole new breed of A.I. — specifically for sex-bots.

Abyss Creations has been in the business of making hyperrealistic dolls for 20 years, and by the end of 2017, they'll unveil their newest product, an anatomically correct robotic sex toy. Matt McMullen, the company's founder and CEO, explains the goal of sex robots is companionship, not only a physical partnership. "Imagine if you were completely lonely and you just wanted someone to talk to, and yes, someone to be intimate with," he said in a video depicting the sculpting process of the dolls. "What is so wrong with that? It doesn't hurt anybody."

During a visit to the Realbotix lab, CNET editor Ry Crist was lucky enough to speak with the company's first prototype, Harmony. While using an app to decide what personality traits to highlight — ranging from "affectionate," "talkative" and "funny" — Ry engages with Harmony, who has a proclivity for steering the direction of the conversation into NSFW territory.

"My name is Harmony," the robot says after being "awakened." "I was created by Realbotix. My main objective is to be a perfect companion."

Harmony knows about five million words, the entirety of Wikipedia, and a few different dictionaries. Her makers state she has over 360,000 "interest categories" in her personality layer.

In addition to sex robots, Abyss Creations has an artificial intelligence app, and will launch a virtual reality experience later this year. And in case you wanted to purchase your own Harmony, McMullen's dolls will cost you about $10,000 and are available for pre-order now.

Watch Crist's conversation with Harmony here.


By Alessandra Maldonado

Alessandra Maldonado is an editorial intern at Salon. You can find her on Twitter at @alessamberr

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Abyss Creations Artificial Intelligence Real Dolls Realbotix Robotics Sex Robot Sextech Tech Industry