Marianne Brandon Ph.D.
The Future of Intimacy
SEX
What role will old-fashioned sex play in our future?
KEY POINTS
- Technology is changing society faster than at any point in the history of humanity.
- CRISPR will result in the capability of creating genetically enhanced humans.
- Brain-computer interfacing will enable us to reach super-human capability.
- Advancing sex tech will likely interface with these technologies to transform intimacy.
You’ve heard this story before. Someone living in 1922 would be completely disoriented if she had the opportunity to live a day in 2022. One hundred years may seem like a long time, but in the history of humanity, it’s almost meaningless. I would guess that our 1922 transplant would be terrorized by self-driving cars, stunned by virtual reality porn, and confused by Alexa giving her a weather report – all rather mundane aspects of life today. After all, she was just getting used to radio, Band-Aids, and frozen food – she hadn’t yet even seen a TV! How might the next 100 years change our experience of living?
Source: Zsolt Biczo/Shutterstock
Consider CRISPR. This extraordinary biotechnology enables scientists to edit genes – literally turn them on or off. While the stated goals of this technology include the treatment of deafness and cancer, scientists and bioethicists alike recognize that we will eventually have the ability to retool human genetic code. This means, we will be capable of not only treating medical conditions via gene editing, but ultimately genetically enhancing humans. It is likely that in our lifetimes we will be grappling with the ethical appropriateness of making our offspring taller, and eventually even increasing the odds that our babies can be engineered with the likelihood of being born with higher than typical IQ or extraordinary athletic ability. In fact, even the co-developer of CRISPR herself acknowledges that these “designer babies” may be “inevitable.” Ethical challenges are inevitable.
But this genetic enhancement capability will be accompanied by other equally astounding technological advancements. Consider brain-computer interfacing, or the merging of human biology with bionic capability and/or intelligent technologies. Currently aiming for the treatment of physical and neurological disabilities, possibilities here extend far beyond medical treatment. Augmented humans may take our physical and sensory capabilities to levels experienced only by certain animal species – the speed of a cougar, or the sight of an owl for example. If this sounds surreal, check out the video of a monkey in Elon Musk’s Neuralink lab playing a video game with its mind.
Advancements in fertility technology are no less astounding. Scientists in the Netherlands expect their artificial wombs will be gestating human fetuses in less than a decade. And researchers are working to create literal eggs and sperm from human stem cells. Should they succeed, humans will no longer be limited by quantity of eggs and sperm but will in fact be able to create as many genetic offspring as they chose. Further, since a stem cell could theoretically create either eggs or sperm, reproduction will not be limited by gender. These concepts may sound outrageous, but I assure you that the scientific community takes them very, very seriously.
As a sex therapist, I wonder. Will CRISPR and brain-computer interfacing change who people will desire as romantic partners? Maybe those of us who aren’t enhanced will become uninteresting and outdated. And as sex tech becomes only more potent, perhaps even enhanced human sex partners will feel burdensome – everyone knows that romantic relationships take work, requiring energy that we often don’t have. Energy that sex tech simply doesn’t require of us.
What will all this mean to human intimacy? Truly, it’s anybody’s guess. But one thing’s for certain, it will be impactful. I started this blog to explore the ways increasingly advanced sex tech will influence human intimacy. But the question I find even more fascinating is how will the combined influence of sex tech and these other cutting-edge technologies impact the future of humanity?
It’s time to take this speculation seriously and advance this discussion. Considering and debating these eventualities will undoubtedly help our progeny capitalize on the benefits ad mitigate the risks inherent in what the future brings.
Of one thing I have no doubt – we are in the process of birthing a new intimacy.
References
Goszcynski, D., Denicol, D. & Ross, P. (2019). Gametes from stem cells: Status and applications in animal reproduction. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.13503.
Metzl, J. (2019). Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity. Sourcebooks, Inc., Naperville Ill.
Christian H. Ross. (2019, March 14). Can CRISPR Make Me Taller or Smarter?. ASU – Ask A Biologist. Retrieved October 28, 2022 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/can-crispr-make-me-taller-or-smarter.
Antonio Regalado (2022, April 26). The Scientist who Co-created CRISPR Isn’t Ruling out Genetically Engineered Babies Someday. From MIT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/04/26/1048917/crispr-gene-editing….
