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Sextech News This Week
Bryony Cole
April 05, 2024
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👋 HEY ALL!
Whoa, the information on AI companionship is keeping me awake this week, specifically:
Are human-human relationships and human-ai relationships on the precipice of merging?
And the big one, can we have a real love with an AI?
A 2022 study on human-AI relationships found that based on the triarchic theory of love, which suggests that romantic love is a confluence of intimacy, passion and commitment, it is possible to experience such love for an AI system.
And it's not just AI-focused companies like Replika that are working with this information.
Dating app Grindr are currently working on an AI chatbot that can engage in sexually explicit conversations with users, according to Platformer's latest newsletter.
Would you be happy with your dating app including both human and ai avatars to potentially swipe on?
I can’t help but make the connection with the reports coming out about the gulf emerging between young men and women and the rise of AI companionship this week.
Is this all connected? I think so.
This quote from the founder of CHAYN stood out:
Social media is afloat with complaints of women about the lack of good dating prospects but yet we are told there are hundreds of thousands of men craving companionship so much so that they are ready to enter a make-believe relationship to fulfil this critical need.
Full article from that piece below 👇
Read on for:
🔥 this week in sextech
💼 job openings
🎪 community events
📚 opportunities to contribute
📑 research opportunities
— Bryony
🔥 THIS WEEK IN SEXTECH
💑 Why young men and women are drifting apart
🤖 The dangers of artificial intimacy
⚖️ Good Clean Love are suing Goop
💦 Is sexual wellness for men mainstream?
💑Why young men and women are drifting apart
This week The Economist released an excellent round-up of their research on 20 countries data exploring the emerging gulf between young people:
We heard a persistent complaint. Young, university-educated (heterosexual) women lamented that there aren’t enough well-educated, liberal men to form romantic bonds with. Many young, blue-collar men groused that feminism has gone too far and is crimping opportunities for males.
Alongside the shifting norms in dating and marriage, disparities between genders are setting in at a young age in silos, algorithms and online spaces. Below are a few more independent articles exploring the ideas, although The Economist round-up is an excellent starting point.
🤖 The dangers of artificial intimacy
Hera Hussain of CHAYN write about the need for AI companies to play a significant role in setting parameters for how chatbots should be used.
Research by Mozilla shows that almost all of the [AI chatbot] apps reviewed by them don’t meet privacy standards and are harvesting troves of data and may be sending it to Google, Facebook and other companies.
Research conducted by Chayn on tech-facilitated gender-based violence highlighted that transparency, stricter privacy measures, and clear terms of use that highlight zero tolerance for abuse clearly were needed to mitigate such harm by technologies.
Laws also need to place a legal duty of care on tech companies across the distribution chain and make provisions for the cross-border dimension of these platforms.
We know there is a link between social isolation and male violence. As the use of this technology increases, there is a responsibility on society at large to talk to young people about unrooting misogynistic beliefs.
⚖️ Good Clean Love are suing Goop
💦 Sexual Wellness for men is mainstream?
Unsure if this is the case, but this staggering stat appears in the article "Market value of male sextoys from $23,000 in 2019 to $59 billion by 2032."
💼 HOT JOBS
🇦🇺 Health and Wellbeing Coordinator, HCF Australia [Apply]
🇺🇸 Customer Service and Experience Manager, Sexual Health Alliance [Apply]
🇺🇸 External Relations and Development Manager, Carafem [Apply] Compensation: $65,000-70,000 plus health insurance and other benefits. Applications due April 19.
🇳🇱 Growth Marketing Interns, The Oh Collective [Apply]
🎪 EVENTS
💻 April 18, Online, Sex Writing Workshop with Tash Doherty [RSVP here]
🇨🇦 April 25, Toronto, Sex Ed Salon [RSVP here]
🇩🇰 April 30, Copenhagen, Navigating Digital Censorship in Sextech and Femtech, SexTech Nordics [ RSVP here]
🇨🇦 May 22, Toronto, SexTechTO Mixer [RSVP here] Alexandra Friedman
💻 May 27, Online, The Future of Community - Sex Tech Business & Well-being Index Report 2024 [RSVP here]
📚 CONTRIBUTE
🤓 Calling all sex tech industry members!
Share your insights with SxTech.Eu to shape the future of the industry and support fellow founders.
👉 Register now to contribute your experiences and gain exclusive access to the report findings: 2024 - Sex Tech Business & Wellbeing Index Report
🤝 Sexual Wellness Startup MYHIXEL Secures €1.4M
Read more 👉 here
What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join early adopters reading The Rundown– the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.
📑 RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
🇺🇸 Paid Research Opportunity [Learn More]
👩🏻⚕️ Dr. Laura Sinko of Temple University is leading a study for LGBTQ+ survivors of gender-based violence. The research will help illuminate potential areas to support the recovery needs, improve care quality, and reduce the help-seeking barriers this marginalized group faces.
✍🏻 If you are willing to share your experience to assist with this project, which has opportunities for payment of up to $95, email: [email protected] for the survey link.
That's a wrap for this week.
Anything else you'd like to know about the industry?
I read and respond to all your comments.
— Bryony
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